Turnips — season, tips, and recipes in Australia
Turnips is a vegetables available in Queensland during May, June, July, August, September, October, peaking in June, July, August. This page is a practical guide for home cooks: when to buy turnips, how to pick a good one, how to store it, what it goes well with, three original recipes, and detailed nutrition information.
Baby turnips are a completely different experience from the large woody ones. Sliced thin and eaten raw, they're crisp and peppery like radishes.
How to pick a good one
Small and firm is best. Baby turnips are sweet and can be eaten raw. Leaves are edible and nutritious.
How to store it
Remove green tops. Fridge for up to two weeks.
Goes well with
butter: Young turnips glazed in butter lose their sharpness and develop a sweetness that the raw vegetable doesn't have. The fat changes the experience of the vegetable entirely.
duck fat: Roasted in duck fat, turnip takes on a richness that moderates any bitterness. Used in French cooking as a classic roast vegetable.
apple: Apple's sweetness contrasts with turnip's peppery edge. Used together in soups and braises, the combination is more interesting than either alone.
Recipes
Roasted Baby Turnips
Sweet, caramelised, surprising.
Ingredients: bunch baby turnips, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp butter, thyme, salt, honey
Method: Halve turnips. Toss with oil. Roast 200C for 20 min. Toss with butter, thyme, drizzle of honey.
Turnip Gratin
Rich, creamy, winter.
Ingredients: 4 turnips, 200ml cream, 1 clove garlic, 80g gruyère, salt, pepper, nutmeg
Method: Peel and thinly slice turnips. Layer in buttered dish with garlic. Season. Pour cream. Top with cheese. Bake 180C for 40 min.
Turnip & Potato Mash
The hybrid mash.
Ingredients: 2 turnips, 2 potatoes, 2 tbsp butter, splash milk, salt, white pepper
Method: Peel and cube both. Boil together 20 min until tender. Drain. Mash with butter and milk. Season.
Nutrition
One cup provides 30% of your daily vitamin C and good amounts of potassium and manganese. Only 36 calories. The greens (turnip tops) are even more nutritious than the root: 100g of turnip greens provides 250% of your daily vitamin K and 60% of your vitamin A.