Like their cousins collard and mustard, turnip greens are perhaps best known for appearing alongside some type of fatty pork.
While the pork brings the flavor to the party, turnip leaves bring a nutritional punch.
With few calories and many vitamins, these leaves should be on your short list of veggies to grow in your garden!
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Let’s dig into the health benefits.
What Are Turnip Greens?Turnips are a root vegetable that grows well in most temperate climates.
The bulbous root of the turnip is what typically comes to mind when considering this vegetable, but the leafy tops are also edible and nutritious.
And you don’t want to let them go to waste!
The leaves can be saved when you’re thinning your plants early in the season when they’re small, and you can harvest several times a season after that without hurting root development, as long as you don’t pluck all of them.
When your tasty turnips are finally ready for harvest, this is your opportunity to enjoy all of the fully mature leaves that remain, in a soup, salad, or saute.
At the grocery store or farmers market, you’ll also often find turnips that still have the leaves attached for your culinary enjoyment – two vegetables in one!
Otherwise, you can sometimes find the tops sold on their own, or in bagged mixes with other types of leafy vegetables.
Which cultivar should you select to grow in your own garden? If you’re interested in the tasty roots as well as the tops, try this ‘Purple Top’ variety.
‘Purple Top’
Seeds are available from Eden Brothers.
If the leaves are more your thing, ‘Seven Top’ may be a better choice. This cultivar doesn’t
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