26-398: The turnip or white turnip ( Brassica rapa subsp. rapa ) is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, fleshy taproot . Small, tender varieties are grown for human consumption, while larger varieties are grown as feed for livestock . The name turnip – used in many regions – may also be used to refer to rutabaga (or neep or swede ), which
52-410: A hoe throughout the summer. As a root crop, turnips grow best in cool weather; hot temperatures cause the roots to become woody and bad-tasting. They are typically planted in the spring in cold-weather climates (such as the northern US and Canada) where the growing season is only 3–4 months. In temperate climates (ones with a growing season of 5–6 months), turnips may also be planted in late summer for
78-518: A common side dish in southeastern U.S. cooking, primarily during late fall and winter. Smaller leaves are preferred. Varieties of turnip grown specifically for their leaves resemble mustard greens and have small roots. These include rapini (broccoli rabe), bok choy , and Chinese cabbage . Similar to raw cabbage or radish , turnip leaves and roots have a pungent flavor that becomes milder after cooking. Turnip roots weigh up to 1 kilogram (2 pounds), although they are usually harvested when smaller. Size
104-417: A second fall crop. In warm-weather climates (7 or more month growing season), they are planted in the fall. 55–60 days is the average time from planting to harvest. Turnips are a biennial plant, taking two years from germination to reproduction. The root spends the first year growing and storing nutrients, and the second year flowers, produces seeds, and dies. The flowers of the turnip are tall and yellow, with
130-825: Is 94% water, 5% carbohydrates, and 1% protein, with negligible fat. Wild forms of the turnip and its relatives, the mustards and radishes , are found over western Asia and Europe. Starting as early as 2000 BCE, related oilseed subspecies of Brassica rapa like oleifera may have been domesticated several times from the Mediterranean to India, though these are not the same turnips cultivated for its roots. Previous estimates of domestication dates are limited to linguistic analyses of plant names. Edible turnips were first domesticated in Central Asia several thousand years ago, supported by genetic studies of both wild and domesticated varieties showing Central Asian varieties are
156-436: Is a different but related vegetable. The origin of the word turnip is uncertain, though it is hypothesised that it could be a compound of turn as in turned/rounded on a lathe and neep , derived from Latin napus , the word for the plant. According to An Universal Etymological English Dictionary , turn refers to "round napus to distinguish it from the napi, which were generally long". The most common type of turnip
182-517: Is an oilseed commonly known as turnip rape , field mustard , bird's rape , and keblock . Rapeseed oil is a general term for oil from some Brassica species. Food grade oil made from the seed of low- erucic acid Canadian-developed strains is also called canola oil , while non-food oil is called colza oil . Canola oil can be sourced from Brassica rapa and Brassica napus , which are commonly grown in Canada, and Brassica juncea , which
208-464: Is an oilseed commonly known as turnip rape , field mustard , bird's rape , and keblock . Rapeseed oil is a general term for oil from some Brassica species. Food grade oil made from the seed of low- erucic acid Canadian-developed strains is also called canola oil , while non-food oil is called colza oil . Canola oil can be sourced from Brassica rapa and Brassica napus , which are commonly grown in Canada, and Brassica juncea , which
234-532: Is less common. The geographic and genetic origins of B. rapa have been difficult to identify due to its long history of human cultivation. It is found in most parts of the world, and has returned to the wild many times as a feral plant or weed . Genetic sequencing and environmental modelling have indicated that ancestral B. rapa likely originated 4000 to 6000 years ago in the Hindu Kush area of Central Asia, and had three sets of chromosomes , providing
260-474: Is less common. The geographic and genetic origins of B. rapa have been difficult to identify due to its long history of human cultivation. It is found in most parts of the world, and has returned to the wild many times as a feral plant or weed . Genetic sequencing and environmental modelling have indicated that ancestral B. rapa likely originated 4000 to 6000 years ago in the Hindu Kush area of Central Asia, and had three sets of chromosomes , providing
286-426: Is mostly white-skinned, apart from the upper 1 to 6 centimetres ( 1 ⁄ 2 to 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 inches), which protrude above the ground and are purple or red or greenish where the sun has hit. This above-ground part develops from stem tissue but is fused with the root. The interior flesh is entirely white. The root is roughly globular, from 5–20 cm (2–8 in) in diameter, and lacks side roots. Underneath,
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#1732791436154312-424: Is partly a function of variety and partly a function of the length of time a turnip has grown. Boiled green leaves of the turnip top ("turnip greens") provide 84 kilojoules (20 kilocalories) of food energy in a reference serving of 100 grams ( 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 oz), and are 93% water, 4% carbohydrates , and 1% protein , with negligible fat (table). The boiled greens are a rich source (more than 20% of
338-523: The B. rapa flowers. The young leaves are a common leaf vegetable and can be eaten raw; older leaves are typically cooked. The taproot and seeds can also be eaten raw, although the seeds contain an oil that can cause irritation for some people. Brassica rapa Brassica rapa is a plant species that has been widely cultivated into many forms, including the turnip (a root vegetable ), komatsuna , napa cabbage , bomdong , bok choy , and rapini . Brassica rapa subsp. oleifera
364-552: The Daily Value , DV) particularly of vitamin K (350% DV), with vitamin A , vitamin C , and folate also in significant content (30% DV or greater, table). Boiled turnip greens also contain substantial lutein (8440 micrograms per 100 g). In a 100-gram reference amount, boiled turnip root supplies 92 kJ (22 kcal), with only vitamin C in a moderate amount (14% DV). Other micronutrients in boiled turnip are in low or negligible content (table). Boiled turnip
390-462: The Hellenistic and Roman world. The turnip spread to China, and reached Japan by 700 CE. Turnips were an important crop in the cuisine of Antebellum America . They were grown for their greens as well as the roots, and could yield edible greens within a few weeks of planting, making them a staple of new plantations still in the process of becoming productive. They could be planted as late as
416-538: The taproot (the normal root below the swollen storage root) is thin and 10 cm (4 in) or more in length; it is often trimmed off before the vegetable is sold. The leaves grow directly from the above-ground shoulder of the root, with little or no visible crown or neck (as found in rutabagas ). Turnip leaves are sometimes eaten as "turnip greens" ("turnip tops" in the UK), and they resemble mustard greens (to which they are closely related) in flavor. Turnip greens are
442-441: The 18th century, the turnip and the oilseed-producing variants were thought to be different species by Carl Linnaeus , who named them B. rapa and B. campestris . Twentieth-century taxonomists found that the plants were cross fertile and thus belonged to the same species. Since the turnip had been named first by Linnaeus, the name Brassica rapa was adopted. Many butterflies, including the small white , feed from and pollinate
468-441: The 18th century, the turnip and the oilseed-producing variants were thought to be different species by Carl Linnaeus , who named them B. rapa and B. campestris . Twentieth-century taxonomists found that the plants were cross fertile and thus belonged to the same species. Since the turnip had been named first by Linnaeus, the name Brassica rapa was adopted. Many butterflies, including the small white , feed from and pollinate
494-567: The fall and still provide newly arrived settlers with a source of food. The typical southern way of cooking turnip greens was to boil them with a chunk of salt pork . The broth obtained from this process was known as pot likker and was served with crumbled corn pone , often made from coarse meal when little else was available along the antebellum frontier. The 1881 American Household Cyclopedia advises that turnips can be grown in fields that have been harrowed and ploughed. It recommends planting in late May or June and weeding and thinning with
520-683: The genetic potential for a diversity of form, flavour, and growth. Domestication has produced modern vegetables and oil-seed crops, all with two sets of chromosomes. Oilseed subspecies (subsp. oleifera ) of Brassica rapa may have been domesticated several times from the Mediterranean to India , starting as early as 2000 BC. There are descriptions of B. rapa vegetables in Indian and Chinese documents from around 1000 BC. Edible turnips were possibly first cultivated in northern Europe, and were an important food in ancient Rome . The turnip then spread east to China, and reached Japan by 700 AD. In
546-630: The genetic potential for a diversity of form, flavour, and growth. Domestication has produced modern vegetables and oil-seed crops, all with two sets of chromosomes. Oilseed subspecies (subsp. oleifera ) of Brassica rapa may have been domesticated several times from the Mediterranean to India , starting as early as 2000 BC. There are descriptions of B. rapa vegetables in Indian and Chinese documents from around 1000 BC. Edible turnips were possibly first cultivated in northern Europe, and were an important food in ancient Rome . The turnip then spread east to China, and reached Japan by 700 AD. In
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#1732791436154572-461: The larger yellow vegetables are referred to as turnips. In the Austrian region of Wildschönau farmers produce a kind of schnaps called Krautinger from a variation of Brassica rapa ssp. Rapa, since they were granted permission to do so under Empress Maria Theresia in the 18th century. It is notorious for its distinct taste and smell. The turnip is an old vegetable charge in heraldry . It
598-470: The most genetically diverse crops. Ancient literary references to turnips in Central Asia, and the existence of words for 'turnip' in ancestral languages of the region, also support the turnip as the original domesticated form of Brassica rapa subsp. rapa . It later spread to Europe and East Asia with farmers in both areas later selecting for larger leaves; it subsequently became an important food in
624-418: The seeds forming in pea-like pods. In areas with less than seven-month growing seasons, temperatures are too cold for the roots to survive the winter. To produce seeds, pulling the turnips and storing them over winter is necessary, taking care not to damage the leaves. During the spring, they may be set back in the ground to complete their lifecycle. In England around 1700, Charles "Turnip" Townshend promoted
650-487: The use of turnips in a four-year crop-rotation system that enabled year-round livestock feeding. In the United States, the smaller white vegetables are called turnips, while the larger yellow ones are referred to as rutabagas , a borrowing from Swedish rotabagge (a dialectal word from Västergötland ). In most of England, turnips are the same, while the larger yellow ones are referred to as swedes. In Scotland,
676-504: Was used by Leonhard von Keutschach , prince-archbishop of Salzburg . The turnip is still the heart shield in the arms of Keutschach am See . The arms of the former municipality of Kiikala , Finland, were Gules, a turnip Or . Brassica rapa Brassica rapa is a plant species that has been widely cultivated into many forms, including the turnip (a root vegetable ), komatsuna , napa cabbage , bomdong , bok choy , and rapini . Brassica rapa subsp. oleifera
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