Roasted Turnip with Garden Thyme

I made oven roasted turnips again this weekend and was pleased that something so simple can be so good!  I tossed them with olive oil, lemon juice and my garden thyme.  Move over potatoes!  I don't eat a 100% local diet but I embrace the SLOW foods movement - sustainable, seasonal, local, organic and/or wild.

The purple top white globe turnips shown above are the ones I have grown for the past two years.  It is so mild out today (16'C!) I was actually just out in the garden picking the tail end of the turnip crop.  The certified organic, heritage seeds are from stock earlier than 1880 that I bought mail order from the Cottage Gardner.

Pre-1880.(45-65 days) This turnip is a longtime favourite of both home and market growers. Roots are purplish red above ground and white below (as the name indicates), and are fine-grained and mild-flavoured. Best harvested at 3-4” in diameter stays sweet even if larger. Stores well.

One package of seeds scattered over the top of prepared soil led to many turnip feasts this fall and I will gladly grow them again.  Especially because they grow densely in a patch and I didn't have to weed them!  Below they are shown with my late garden harvest of broccoli leaves, celery, radicchio and midget green onions.  My garden is still providing me these foods and Swiss chard and kale too.  But, it will all be over shortly once we get a hard frost. 

Makes 6 x 125 ml servings

INGREDIENTS:

6 small white turnips (about 9-10 cm or 3-4 inches each) - about 3 cups
1 Tbsp (15 ml) olive oil, extra virgin - I used organic Silver Leaf Extra Native Olive Oil*
1 Tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice - I used organic Italian Volcano Lemon Juice*
1 Tbsp (15 ml) fresh garden thyme, or more, off the stem
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) black pepper, freshly ground

* you can buy these organic foods from Gypsy Wholefoods Warehouse out of Burke's Falls.  There is a link to their phone number on the right hand side of my blog where I show local food talent.  Email for a price list -  gypsywholefoods@xplornet.com

METHOD:

1.  Wash turnips and cut into cubes or wedges. I only pare off rough spots.  The small ones don't need to be peeled.
2.  Toss with remaining ingredients and bake in 350'F oven for 30 minutes or until tender.


I also roast the turnips the same way mixed with garden garlic, onions and kale.  I add the kale during the last 15 minutes of baking.  This is the best way to get my teenagers to eat kale as they are not yet very fond of it! 


NUTRITION FACTS (per 125 ml/70 g serving): 40 calories, 2.5 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 45 mg sodium, 5 g carbohydrate, 1 g fibre, 3 g sugar, 1 g protein.  % Daily Values (based on a 2000 calorie diet) are 0% vitamin A, 25% vitamin C, 2% each calcium and iron.


© Nancy Guppy, RD, MHSc
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