It’s fall, and we’re so pleased! Sweater weather is here; we’re getting out our slow cookers. One of the things we are most excited about is the fall vegetables! We love the hearty vegetables coming out of the ground! We love root vegetables, and turnips are back in season! As we’re fans of turnips, we wanted to take some time today to speak about their properties and why you should work them into your menu.
As root vegetables grow underground, they soak up nutrients from the soil directly and are packed with iron, antioxidants and vitamins A,B and C. A cup of cut turnips has almost a third of your daily intake of vitamin C. A cup also has nine percent of you daily B-6.
Rich sources in fiber, they won’t spike your blood sugar and will keep you feeling full long after eating. You can mash them in the place of potatoes for a mashed side that won’t upset your blood sugar. A cup of cooked, mashed turnip contains 11.6 grams of carbs and 4.6 grams of fiber. A cup of cooked, mashed turnip greens contains 6.3 grams of carbs and five grams of fiber.
You can also roast, sauté, boil and pickle them if you prefer. Some people like making them in a pressure cooker. Unlike many veggies, when picking root vegetables, you should choose ones that are hard with no give to their flesh. If you store them in a cool dark place, they don’t have to be refrigerated. Remove their green tops because those will spoil much faster than the actual turnip. Those green leaves are edible and have four times the calcium of kale. They are, however, quite bitter. But, if you like the bitter flavor of turnips, you’re unlikely to be put off the greens!
If turnips aren’t part of your regular rotation, try adding them to your diet this winter. The root vegetable is in season now through the spring, so you have lots of time to find out how you like them best!
