Turnip: what kind of vegetable is it, benefits and harms, applications, interesting facts

Fodder turnip has long been in the shadow of its relatives, rutabagas and common turnips. The vegetable, which is also called turnip, has healing properties, adds variety to the menu and is easy to grow. It has been known in Scandinavia since Viking times. In ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece, the root crop was indispensable, like bread in Rus'. With the advent of potatoes, they began to grow it mainly for pet food.

Description of the plant

Turneps is a root biennial of the Cabbage family and is a separate subspecies that belongs to the Turnip species. The Latin name of the plant is Brassica rapa.

Turneps is an exclusively agricultural crop and does not occur in nature. A thousand centners of vegetables are harvested from one hectare. It comes in forage varieties that are grown on a large scale in the fields, and table varieties, intended for private horticulture.

The turnip is edible not only as a root crop, but also as a tops, and the cultivation technology is similar to radishes, beets and turnips. Small-fruited red and white vegetable looks like a radish, only larger.

Seeds have high germination. Young plants are resistant to frost down to -5 degrees. Turnips can be planted several times a year. Spring planting will give an early harvest, and summer planting will provide a supply of vegetables for the winter.

Appearance

Turneps is a relative of cabbage, belongs to the same genus. But its appearance lacks layered foliage.

A root crop can be difficult to distinguish from a turnip, so sometimes it is called the same, only with the clarification "fodder" . In the West, table varieties of turnips are called turnips. The main difference between vegetables is the size. True turnips are bigger.

External characteristics of turnip:

Criterion	Description
Root shape	Squat oval, fusiform, round, cylindrical
Color	Light purple, white, pale orange, yellow, white-pink
Leaves	Oval-elongated, dissected, serrated at the edges, green, with a slight edging in forage varieties and smooth in table varieties.
Root system	Branched, reaches 80-150 centimeters deep and 50 centimeters wide.
Flowers	Yellow, with four petals, collected in inflorescences, formed at the ends of peduncles
Fruits	Pods with small round brown seeds.

Fodder turnip tops in the first year after planting resemble a rosette of lyre-shaped dissected leaves. In the second year, flower stalks appear in it. The flesh is white or yellow.

Growth area

Turneps is included in the list of the main crops in agriculture in European countries and the North American continent. The main foreign vegetable producers are Germany, Denmark, Great Britain, Canada, USA and Australia.

In Russia, agricultural land with fodder turnips is located in the northern, southern and central regions, in Siberia, the Urals, the Caucasus and the Far East. It is grown even in the Arctic. Harvested vegetables are stored in heaps, trenches or vegetable stores.

Taste characteristics

Table turnip varieties have a pleasant vegetable taste. They are juicy and sweet, similar to carrots or potatoes, more tender than turnips.The raw root vegetable is firm and crispy, while the boiled one becomes soft. The finished vegetable exudes a spicy rich aroma. The leaves have a mustard flavor.

Fodder turnip is bitter like a radish. Overgrown table roots also have a bitter taste and fibrous flesh. But you can get rid of bitterness by pouring boiling water over vegetables.

Popular varieties

You can grow any variety of turnip at your summer cottage. The vegetable grows in sunny and shaded beds, survives in dampness and drought. Sandy, sandy, loamy soil is suitable for its cultivation. Organic and mineral fertilizers are used for top dressing.

The following varieties have won recognition from gardeners:

• Greyston - a stern species is easy to collect, since weak roots almost do not hold it in the ground;
• Yellow Tankard - dark yellow flesh after cooking acquires a spicy taste;
• Finsk-Bortfeld - gives juicy roots and powerful tops;
• Long bortfeld - characterized by high yield, large tasty root crops;
• Yellow purple head - two-color, not juicy variety with short tops;
• Norfolk white round - a table species with white flesh grows almost on the surface of the earth;
• Six-week - a variety with a white core and large strong tops;
• White ball - the table view is distinguished by a spherical shape and purple color of the root crop;
• Redhead - produces dark roots with juicy white flesh;
• Osterzundomsky is a purple-white variety with a slightly bitter taste.

Turneps varieties appeared as a result of selection. The vegetable is easily propagated by seeds that are planted immediately in the ground or germinated for seedlings.

Fetal choice

Turneps are sold by weight in markets and vegetable shops. It is better to choose small root crops. Large vegetables are often fibrous and less juicy.

Soft turnips will be loose when cooked, so firm ones should be preferred. Other signs of a good vegetable are heaviness, smooth skin, no splits or dark spots.

Different from swede

Turneps and rutabagas are similar because they belong to the same Cabbage family. Both vegetables are early-ripening root crops, have the same vegetative cycle, are grown for animal feed and on the table. But the swede belongs to the genus Rapeseed and is obtained by crossing white cabbage and turnips. Turnip is selectively bred from turnips.

Other vegetable differences:

Criterion	Rotabaga	Turneps
Leaves	Smooth	Smooth and downy
Flowers	Raspiform	Inflorescence-shields
Root shape	Oval	Different from ball to cylinder
germination	At a minimum temperature of +1-2 degrees	At -5 degrees of frost, it comes faster
Average weight of a ripe root crop	0.3-2 kilograms	600 grams

Fodder turnip grows best in light soil. Rutabaga prefers heavy, moist soil.

Expert opinionZarechny Maxim ValerievichAgronomist with 12 years of experience. Our best gardening expert.Ask a QuestionTurnip is sweeter, but contains less B vitamins. Rutabaga tastes closer to potatoes, has a high calorie content, and is saturated with carbohydrates.

Chemical composition

Turneps is a natural complex of vitamins, minerals and beneficial trace elements. Vegetables contain glucose. Mustard oils give it a specific taste. Fodder turnip is a useful and easy product. The energy value of 100 grams of raw vegetable is 28 kilocalories.

Content of nutrients in the root crop:

Name	Amount in grams
Squirrels	0.9
Carbohydrates	6,4
Fats	0.1
Water	91.8
Sodium	0.067
Potassium	0.19
Phosphorus	0.027
Magnesium	0.011
Calcium	0.03
Copper	0.085

Turnip contains folic acid and folates, amino acids and phytosterols, fatty acids and cellulose, vitamins A and E, carotene. There is a lot of vitamin C in young tops. The vegetable is also rich in semi-vitamin choline, which is useful for brain function.

Useful properties and contraindications

Turneps are a good source of dietary fiber. Regular consumption of the vegetable helps in the prevention of atherosclerosis due to the presence of mustard oils and potassium in the composition.

Fodder turnip is useful for people with vision problems. The vegetable helps replenish the pigment rhodopsin, which improves the conductivity of light pulses and reduces the risk of developing night blindness.

Low-calorie product included in weight loss diets. It is also useful to introduce iron-rich fodder turnips into the menu for anemia. Omega-3 fatty acids give the vegetable the ability to reduce the tendency of body tissues to become inflamed. A decoction of the leaves is recommended to drink for diseases of the joints, rheumatic pains.

Turneps is useful for women during pregnancy. Its use helps to normalize the stool and prevent the development of hemorrhoids. Also, the vegetable is useful for people prone to or recovering from cancer. Substances in its composition reduce the risk of neoplasms and mutations.

Other useful properties of turnip:

• antibacterial action;
• blood circulation improvement;
• sleep normalization;
• strengthening mucous membranes;
• lower blood sugar;
• excretion of excess s alts and fluids;
• deceleration of aging;
• restoration of metabolism.

Turneps is contraindicated in case of individual sensitivity to substances in the product. The vegetable is not recommended for use in the acute phase of gastritis and stomach ulcers. You should also limit the amount of fodder turnip in the diet for urolithiasis, thyroid dysfunction and a tendency to bloat.

Because of its specific taste and bitterness, turnips should not be consumed by women while breastfeeding. The child may begin indigestion, allergies, colic. Children are recommended to eat vegetables from the age of two.

Application

Fodder turnips are sometimes not harvested, but cattle are released into the field. He eats the tops and tops of root crops. The remains of the roots are dug up and given to pigs.

Vegetable from your own garden is a he althy addition to the diet of livestock.It is especially useful for dairy breeds of cows and goats, as it increases milk yield. Milk is fatty, but with a slight bitterness. To prevent the vegetable from affecting the taste of milk, animals are fed 2 hours before milking. Cows consume up to 16 kilograms of turnip per day.

Fodder turnip is a useful ingredient in medical and vegetarian diets. Juice is squeezed out of the root crop and added to vitamin fresh juices. Its main areas of application are medicine and cooking.

In medicine

Turneps is a popular folk remedy for the treatment of various diseases. A decoction is prepared from root crops, which helps against coughs, asthma attacks and pharyngitis, as well as constipation, inflammation, and gout. Juice is drunk to remove toxins from the body.

In folk medicine, they use the right remedy for frostbite - a compress of grated root and goose fat. For 4 tablespoons of fat, 60 grams of turnip is required. The damaged area of the body is covered with the resulting mixture and wrapped in a towel.

In cosmetology, turnip juice is used to lighten skin, freckles, age spots, and also to fight inflammation. A mixture of raw root mashed into gruel with olive, linseed, castor oil is a nourishing mask for mature skin. Grated turnip with milk - a remedy for dryness on the face. Masks with vegetables should be washed off after 15 minutes.

Cooking

Turneps is a versatile vegetable that is suitable for cooking first and second courses, salads, pies. It is boiled, steamed, stewed, baked. The root vegetable serves as a side dish for fatty meats, such as pork or lamb.

In soups, turnip is combined with potatoes, onions and leeks, carrots, celery stalk. It is added to rice or barley soup. Turnips take longer to cook than other vegetables, so like potatoes, turnips are added to boiling water first. From seasonings with a root crop, bay leaf, black pepper, parsley are combined.

Fodder turnips are prepared as an independent dish in a creamy sauce, with cheese and chicken broth. Grated root vegetables or chopped tops are added to vegetable salads. They are combined with mayonnaise, sour cream dressings and vegetable oils.

Sliced turnip leaves are also prepared separately - stewed with garlic and spices in olive oil.

Interesting facts

The weight of some fodder turnip roots reaches a kilogram. The record-breaking specimen grew on a farm in Alaska in 2004. A turnip weighing almost 18 kilograms was entered into the Guinness Book of Records.

Unusual root crop facts:

• in the USA they cook stewed turnips with ham and baked in pots;
• Kabu is a popular dish in Japan - fried turnip slices with s alt;
• American and British scientists came to the conclusion that turnip-type vegetables were the engine of evolution. From eating root crops, people developed brain activity and they began to populate new lands;
• In Ireland, on All Saints' Day Eve, scary eyes and smiles are carved out of a turnip, not a pumpkin;
• in ancient Greece and Egypt, fodder turnip was considered the food of slaves, and in the Middle Ages it turned into a delicacy;
• vegetable is a natural deodorant. Turnip juice eliminates the smell of sweat.

A little-known root crop with an unusual name is immortalized in Soviet culture. In 1984, Alexander Ivanov and the Rondo group released an album called Turneps.

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