Do you have a CSA? Do you run into the "turnip problem" in late winter and early spring? Early spring is especially maddening, when green things are coming up all around, but there are still a few weeks left until real spring food sprouts. Slate columnist Catherine Price has this problem, and she turned to Mark Bittman to help her love her last winter vegetables.
The Turnip Problem: Using Up the Last Winter Vegetables
Price had three vegetables in particular that bothered her. Kale, parsley, and turnips. So she calls up Mark Bittman to help her think up new ideas for using these veggies, and a few more. Here's a snippet:
Bittman, who used to belong to a CSA in New Haven, Conn., pointed out that complaining about a surplus of vegetables in the dead of winter made me sound like a spoiled Californian. Feeling defensive—sure, he was right, but he hadn't answered the question of what he would do with winter produce if he were lucky enough to have it—I challenged him to a game of vegetable free association. I would throw out a problematic vegetable; he would tell me the first preparation that came to mind."I love that," he said. "Go."
"Daikon radish," I began, skipping any pretense at a warm-up.
He didn't miss a beat. "Raw, grated, with soy sauce and sesame oil."
Yum! She goes on to get a few great ideas for winter vegetables, including turnips, and she also finds out what fruit Mark Bittman doesn't like.
• Read the article: The Locavore's Dilemma: What to do with the kale, turnips, and parsley that overwhelm your CSA bin. at Slate
Related: Beating the Winter Vegetable Blahs: Battle Plan
(Image: Slate)
Comments (8)
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sweet! thanks!
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view EmmieB's profile
i totally have this problem with turnips in particular. I finally broke down and made a turnip soup- just chicken stock, some sauteed garlic and onion, and salt and pepper- all blended with the immersion blender. It actually turned out delicious and I ate the whole thing!
view fizzyizzy's profile
kale chips (found the recipe here!), turnip fries with balsalmic vinegar and salt, parsley - make a bulgur salad with lots of lemon and olives
view pedalpowered's profile
I LOVE our CSA box, the best thing to ever happen to our kitchen.... but I have the same dilemma.. lots of turnips, parsley and mustard greens. The problem isn't so much finding recipes, it's including it into my daily food prep so that I use them up regularly. We get a new box every week and we are so proud of ourselves for eating everything before we get the new box!
view amandamae's profile
I must be blessed, as I find it easy to eat everything in my CSA. I pick up my CSA at the farmer's market, and they will let me trade an item for anything else they have. I've gotten a lot of kale, but I like simply sauteeing it with olive oil and garlic, and putting it atop soba noodles (or whole wheat spaghetti), with an over-easy egg. Fast n' tasty.
Overall, having a CSA box helps me cook faster. It's easier when I don't have to think about what to buy.
view Tracey at The Thoughtful Table's profile
i agree with tracey!
my favorite part of getting a csa bin is not having to figure out what to buy.
when i get turnips i boil and mash them with potatoes, carrots, and a little caramelized onion. delicious!
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view cassiopia's profile
I feel Price's pain. I love turnips every once in a while, but after a winter of them (and squash, and sweet potatoes, and rutabagas, and parsnips) I just get sick of them. I have one and I literally don't know what I'm going to do with it. I'm too excited about our tomatoes, strawberries and beets to even try to figure out what to cook.
view popcorn.for.dinner's profile
I often use turnips where I use potatoes. in stews for example. I've even made turnip 'french fries', sometimes curried. they're a great alternative to a bland starch, (though I can understand getting tired of them in excess).
view foodefafa's profile