Extend the harvest with hardy vegetables

By David Trinklein, University of Missouri Division of Plant Sciences:

Most avid gardeners are saddened by the end of the growing season and, with it, the supply of fresh vegetables from the garden. If you are among those individuals, then next year you might want to consider planting several vegetables that can be harvested late into the fall or, in certain cases, throughout the entire winter. Root crops such as turnip, rutabaga, parsnip, salsify and Jerusalem artichoke fall into that category. November is not too early to start planning next year’s vegetable garden.

Turnip (Brassica rapa subsp. rapa) is by far the most popular of the afore-mentioned vegetables. Turnip is a member of the Brassicaceae (mustard) family and is thought to be native to India where there is good evidence that it was grown as early as 1500 B.C. Later, it was used as a food source by the Greeks and then by the Romans. Because of its ease-of-growth and usefulness, it soon became widespread throughout Europe and Asia.

Jacques Cartier is credited with introducing turnip to the Americas when he planted it in what is now Canada in 1541. It was a staple among early colonists and adopted as a food source by Native Americans who grew it widely.

Turnip is a very versatile vegetable with both the root and the leaves being edible. In fact, in certain areas of the world the leaves (turnip greens) are more prized than the roots. Both tops and roots are good sources of vitamin C. Additionally, turnip greens are high in vitamin A vitamin K, folate, and calcium. As a winter crop, the roots are most important and are said by some to improve in flavor as the weather turns colder.

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