So I went out to the garden to do some weeding and cleaning up this afternoon. I was pulling out some radishes that had gotten totally away from me ('bout the size of tennis balls they were) when I saw what I thought was a HUGE radish.
I had completely forgotten that at the end of the radish bed I had stuck in one 4 foot row of turnips. Turnip seeds that were from 1999. That means they were twelve years old! I don't think I ever even got around to thinning them once I saw that they had germinated.
I must not have thinned them 'cause most of the turnips were misshapen and teenie-weenie, but I did find the above pictured nice sized ones. (Teaspoon in the picture for size comparison.) I know the biggest might be hard and woody . . . inedible perhaps, but I'm sure gonna give them a try.
A little aside story to share with you . . . a turnip tale.
When I think of turnips, I always remember fondly a gal Papa Pea taught with in one of his first years of teaching. She was a beautiful Japanese woman who was born in the state of Washington during World War II. Her parents were U.S. citizens but because they were Japanese the whole family was put in a detention camp for the years the war was going on. She said they were treated well but were given an awful lot of turnips to eat. You would think she'd have developed an aversion to that particular veggie, but surprisingly enough, she was very fond of them as an adult and often brought one in her school lunch and ate it raw just like an apple.
I think we'll eat a raw turnip tonight in her honor . . . and in honor of my luck growing more than I thought I would in this non-gardening year.
14 comments:
I bow down to you...sheesh!
What a story! I love meeting people and hearing about their lives. I would have loved to sit and talk with her. Enjoy that turnip!!
When I was a baby, I had alot of food allergies and was on a puffed rice, lamb and soy diet. To this day, I love puffed rice cereal and I think y'all know I have a strong love for lamb. Not sure about soy tho. Don't recall it. Strange how sometimes those things work out.
Now can you please go non-garden me some green beans and send them along?
Nice turnips, Mama Pea! You're a great non-gardener. :)
Well, I'm definately not going to garden next year. Is there anything NOT growing in your non-garden??? I know so far my most productive potato plant was a "volunteer" from last year. And some of my brightest flowers were also. I give up............
Can you eat turnips raw? I thought you had to cook them but guess I was wrong.
You can come up to my house and start a non-garden anytime you want.
Great story. Next year I'm gonna non'garden like you,they produce a lot,I wonder what your garden looks like in a productive year. [ tom thumb must be hiding there some where ]
Its like Christmas at your House. Whats next, watermelon? Some cultures would look at us strange for cooking everything. And they are the healthier ones.
I hope they taste better raw than they do cooked! LOL
APG - Of a regular gardening year, I have way too many green beans and would package up a bunch and gladly send them to you, my friend. This year, so sorry. Cannot help. ;o}
P.S. I LOVE lamb, too!
Patty - We can grow the root crops up here, can't we?
Sue - No, no, no, don't you dare give up! There was a LOT not growing in my garden this year: Beets, carrots, storage onions, arugula, mizuna, purple mustard, dill, pickling cucs, shell peas, snow peas, lemon cucs, zucchini, potatoes, sunflowers, winter squash, pumpkins, green beans, yellow beans . . . wanna hear more?
I know you're not serious, but what would we all do for our gorgeous garden fix if you didn't garden??
Sparkless - I'll bet there are very few things you really can't eat raw. We might all be better if we didn't cook all the vitamins and minerals OUT of our food!
judy - My green thumb was pretty much in a paint can this year!
Jane - Ha! Watermelon! Now that WOULD be a surprise. Could I please find some cantaloupe, too? How 'bout a couple of eggplants? ;o}
I never thought I'd like them either, until I tried one! I was snacking on them raw while making a stew and now I love 'em!
I love turnips and all root crops. They are what get me through the winter, in more ways than one. How interesting that she would end up teaching in upper Minnie Soda, isn't it? Do you know what became of her?
Yes, I think you have inspired me to non-garden next year too LOL!
Erin - Yep, they're very good raw on a plate with other veggies for dipping!
Susan - Hubby taught in Illinois for several years before we moved up here so that's where he encountered the Japanese gal. Last we knew, she and her husband (who was raised on a farm in Illinois) had moved back out to Washington so they could be near her aging parents.
dr momi - I was just blessed by NOT having all the plagues and problems so many other gardeners had this year so the few things I did plant did well.
Jen - I think cooked turnips are something that need just the right seasoning. I just found a recipe with crumbled cooked bacon and vinegar that I want to try.
Anything could taste good with bacon crumbled on it!
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