Well, you can pickle turnips, and they turn out pretty tasty. Daikon radishes can be done the same way. I don't really have a recipe, I just cut them into slices about 1/2 inch thick (peeled first), and cover them with a mixture of cider and rice vinegar with about a tablespoon of sugar and 1/2 a teaspoon of salt to a pint of vinegar. I haven't canned them, I just use them as a refrigerator pickle, they keep for three to four weeks this way. They go well with sushi, salads, or whatever.

Turnips can be stored directly in the garden by piling a lot of hay over them. You can harvest as you want them through the winter on sunny afternoons.

Univ. of Missouri Extension offers some recommendations (see link below) but honestly there is nothing wrong with "plain". ;) It's safe canning practice and it lets you use them in all sorts of ways later on. It is that later use where inspiration plays a role.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Preserving Turnips

I sautee my washed and chopped brassicas in a little olive oil, add a tad of salt and freeze. When I have a few frozen bags of kale, collards, turnip greens, chard (anything), we make green pies. These are a southern invention similar to green empanadas. They are deep fried and then frozen. To consume we bake them 20 minutes in the oven at 350F. It is one of our standard instant snacks/meals.

The green filling for the empanadas or green pies are sauteed again but with smoked hot peppers, onions, garlic, and cheeses. We make the pie crusts or pastry, fill them, seal them, fry them and freeze again. I can post more details if anyone is interested.

I do freeze greens in a rather plain form, but then embelish them or use them in more elaborate dishes. Examples would be green lasagne, kale potato soup with white beans, spanakopita, green frittatas, the list goes on....

I can't believe you didn't tell me about these when we were discussing sweet potato greens!

Making the empanadas is a bit of a process and I have not tried the sweet potato greens on them yet, but I will!

Usually we make them with whatever greens are hanging out in the freezer. Last year they were a combination of the following: collards, kale, brussel sprouts leaves, cauliflower leaves, radish leaves, amaranth leaves, celery, onion greens, and arugula. Basically all that we grew and had a surplus! This year we will add sweet potato leaves to the mix.

Did not mean to withhold any information tracydr! let me know if you need more details on how to make them.

I have turnips growing in the garden now just to try a new recipe I found in "The Joy of Pickling". It's called sauerruben. Basicly it's just sauerkraut made with shredded turnips instead of cabbage. I love kraut and I love turnips so I think I'm going to like this.

Ernie, I haven't tried this, but I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work, or why it wouldn't be tasty.

I suspect that you could do the very same thing with kohlrabi, rutabagas, and daikon as well.

Cabrita,

I would love the details for your recipe if you are still willing to share!

Jill

OK so now i have greens coming out of my ears and i remember green empanada pie, perfect! but now i can not find the recipe. Did it disappear?
Last year i stuffed lumpia wrappers with greens, garlic and ginger. It was good but i really wanted to try one of these empanadas.....

Sorry about the delay.

Here is the recipe for the crust:

4 cups flour
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup crisco
2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder

this makes enough for about 2 dozen pies, cut in rounds with a 5 1/4 inch circle, and later flattening the circles a little more to make them larger.

this amount of filling makes enough for 10 dozen, so for two dozen (only one crust recipe) make one fifth 1/5 th.

used 10+ lbs of the following greens:
collards, brussels, cauliflower, radish, chard, beets, onion tops, celery, parsley.

Used 5 onions (a mix of red, sweet and brown) - chopped

Used 3 cups chopped sweet and hot smoked peppers

salt and pepper.

5 lbs grated cheese. Used a mix of parmesan, swiss, goat cheddar and jack.

First sautee onions in olive oil for a long time, add smoked peppers, greens, cook until all mingled. Add salt and pepper to taste and cheese.

Cool the filling and fill the pies. Flatten dough with a roller and cut into 5 inch circles, put filling in the middle, fold and seal edges.

We use about 2.3 oz in one pie filling.

We fry these in hot oil but they can be baked too.

I strip the middle vein away from the curley kale leaves and then I just dehydrate all my kale. I have a box model so I just remove two or three trays and throw in the leaves whole. Turn it on low and by morning they are all crunchy. Crush them and store in glass jars on the shelf. When we want some kale, just open a jar and pour out the flakes and boil. Easy.