Honey-kissed Baby Turnips & Greens

Baby Turnips Before Cooking

Recipe from Live Earth Farm

CSA coordinator Debbie’s simple recipe highlights the sweet yet savory taste of young turnips, and answers the question of what to do with the greens. Her original recipe calls for “some butter and a blorp of olive oil,” and I’ve translated this based upon the size of my turnip bunch. Your blorp might be bigger than mine. We were lucky enough to get some red turnips (which I had never heard of) along with the white, adding a spark of color to this dish.

Note that when you purchase turnips and greens, like any root vegetable, it’s best practice to cut the greens off and store them separately in the fridge. (Or dispose of/compost the greens, in the case of carrots.) Otherwise, the greens continue to suck water from the roots just as they do when the plant is growing, and you can end up with some pretty soggy root veggies.

Baby Turnips After Cooking

Honey-kissed Baby Turnips & Greens

Serves 2

4 small to medium turnips with greens

1 tsp butter

1 tsp olive oil

½ tsp honey

Sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Wash turnip bulbs and trim tops and tails. They do not need to be peeled. Cut into half-inch slices.

Wash green tops, separating out and discarding any yellowed leaves and keeping the fresh green ones. Spin or shake off excess water and chop greens.

In a heavy-bottomed skillet, melt butter and add olive oil. When butter starts bubbling, add turnips and stir/shake pan to coat and distribute oil/butter. Let cook over medium heat, stirring and turning periodically, until turnips begin to soften and lightly brown, about 7 minutes.

Sprinkle moderately with sea salt, then add honey, stirring constantly to distribute--it will melt quickly.

Toss in the greens along with their clinging water. Continue to stir and cook until greens have wilted, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with additional salt and several grindings of black pepper, stir and serve!

This dish keeps its green color even if it isn’t served right away or is reheated. Dishes with greens that use acid ingredients (like lemon or vinegar) turn an olive color after a short while.