Turnips - what is it, composition and types of plants, care and cultivation, cooking recipes. Sowing turnip seeds in open ground. What is turnip

The second name of the species is forage turnip. Turnip is a biennial plant from the Brassica family. A special variety of rutabaga was originally grown to feed animals, and over time, breeders developed tasty root vegetables suitable for human consumption. There are about ten wonderful varieties with juicy pulp and different gastronomic notes. Just 30-50 g of vegetables compensates daily norm some valuable substances.

Composition of turnips

One hundred grams of product contains approximately 28 kcal, 1 g of protein, 1 g of fat and 6 g of carbohydrates. The composition of the vegetable is extremely rich. The root vegetable contains the following nutrients:

• vitamins: B1, B2, B5, B6, B9, C, E, K, PP;
• trace elements: zinc, manganese, iron, selenium, copper;
• macroelements: sodium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium;
• carbohydrates: di- and polysaccharides, dietary fiber;
• fats: linoleic, linolenic acids (contained in seeds), mustard oil;
• physiologically active substances: flavonoids, sterols, organic acids.

Plant species

The work of breeders has given humanity many delicious varieties of turnips. They are divided into white and yellow meat. The latter contain more dry matter and are stored better, but varieties with white flesh are more productive. Popular varieties of yellow-meat root vegetables:

1. Long Bortfeld. The variety is sweet and tasty, the pulp is medium juicy. The tops are underdeveloped, the leaves are raised, bright green. The root crop is elongated, half peeking out from under the ground. The harvest is almost entirely intact, without damage.
2. Yellow violet-headed. The core is tasty and slightly juicy. The tops are underdeveloped, the leaves are bright green on purple petioles, raised. The root crop is rounded and flattened, dark purple above, yellowing below. There are damaged vegetables.
3. Yellow Tankard. The pulp is juicy and tasty. The tops are highly developed, the petiolate leaves are green, semi-raised. The root crop is elongated, half immersed in the ground. The top of the vegetable is green and the bottom is yellow. There is little damage.
4. Finnish-bortfeldsky. The edible part is tasty and juicy. The tops are green, well developed, the leaves are petiolate and raised. The root crop is elongated, half peeking out from under the ground. The damage is isolated.
5. Greystone (Grey Stone). The pulp is tasteless, low in juiciness - a typical fodder variety. The amount of tops is average, the petioles are green, there are some yellow ones, raised. The above-ground part of the root crop is green, scaly, the underground part is yellow. The shape is round, flattened on top, the vegetable is recessed by a quarter of its volume. The harvest contains many damaged roots.

White-fleshed varieties are also popular. The best representatives of the species:

1. Osterzundomsky (Esterzundomsky). The pulp is of medium taste, with a bitter taste. The tops are underdeveloped, the leaves are green with purple petioles, semi-raised. The root crop is elongated, half deep. The vegetable is purple on top and white on the bottom. There is little damage.
2. Norfolk white round. The core is juicy and has a medium taste. The tops are highly developed, the leaves are green with purple petioles, semi-raised. The root crop is rounded and flattened, the color is purple. Damage is rare.
3. Six weeks. The pulp is tasty and juicy. The tops are underdeveloped, the petioles are green. The root crop is round, slightly flattened on top. Recessed into the ground by a quarter of the volume, color white. There are damaged roots.
4. Round redhead. The pulp is medium juicy, good taste. The tops are voluminous, the petioles are raised. The root crop is rounded and flattened, one third sits in the ground. The color of the edible part is dark purple, turning white. There is a lot of damage, there are vegetables that are empty inside.
5. White ball. The core is juicy and tasty. Root crops are round, half sitting in the ground. The aboveground part is purple, the underground part is white. The variety was one of the last to be bred.

Benefits and harms

People who regularly eat this vegetable are more effective in resisting ARVI and influenza. Experts recommend including the product in the diet for illnesses circulatory system. The root vegetable thins the blood, which prevents the development of thrombocytosis, normalizes arterial pressure. Turnip strengthens arteries, veins and capillaries, reduces their permeability. Useful for anemia as it increases hemoglobin. During colds, flu, and bronchitis, the vegetable promotes the removal of sputum, increases sweating, removes fluid from the body, and relieves inflammation.

The phytoncides and mustard oil included in the composition inhibit the activity of bacteria and viruses. The juice calms the nervous system, improves attention, memory, and thinking. Turnip is good for the intestines: coarse fiber relieves constipation, removes toxins, improves the secretion of digestive juices, and stimulates peristalsis. The root vegetable lowers blood sugar levels, helps to lose excess weight, and improves appetite. Rutabaga should be consumed by people with osteochondrosis, gout, and polyneuritis. Decoctions and infusions of vegetables get rid of worms.

Healthy people may feel discomfort if they overeat turnips. The product causes bloating, reflux, dizziness and headaches. It is prohibited to use the crop for the following diseases:

• gastritis with high acidity, stomach and intestinal ulcers;
• varicose veins;
• nephritis;
• hypothyroidism;
• hypertensive crisis.

Uses of turnip

The vegetable is actively used in folk medicine. Freshly squeezed juice helps remove kidney stones, fights coughs, relieves pain different localization, improves heart function, is used to treat joint diseases. Fresh eliminates bleeding gums. A decoction of the root vegetable is drunk for asthma, bronchitis, tachycardia, to improve sleep and loosen the intestines. They are used to gargle with sore throat, gingivitis, stomatitis, and inflammation of the gums. Turnip based ointment goose fat treats frostbite, poultices of boiled vegetables relieve pain from gout.

Turnips are used in cooking as a main and secondary ingredient. Fodder turnips are added to salads, cutlets, lamb, pork, beef, poultry. The taste is sharp, without a pronounced aroma, reminiscent of something between fresh cabbage and radish. The vegetable is combined with sour cream, vegetable oil, potatoes, cheese, and tomatoes. A great combination is turnips and a boiled egg. Americans stew turnips with ham and bake them in pots, and the Japanese fry the root vegetable with salt.

Growing and caring for turnips

In the first year of life, the plant develops a rosette of leaves and roots, and in the second year, flowers and seeds. The vegetable is unpretentious, gives a good harvest, and grows quickly. It is not afraid of cold weather - plants can withstand frost down to -8°C, but if the root crop is already formed, such a drop in temperature is critical. The plant does not tolerate drought, extreme heat, loves moderate sun.

Sowing seeds and growing seedlings

Spring sowing of seeds in the ground is carried out in late April - early May, summer - in the first ten days of July. Planting material is mixed with coarse sand in a ratio of 1:10. This mixture is poured into peat pots and sprinkled with a layer of sand 1-1.5 cm thick. The soil is moistened using a fine spray, the crops are covered with glass or film, and transferred to a warm place.

As a representative of Cruciferous plants, turnips do not tolerate picking well, so they must initially be planted in separate pots. After germination, the strongest seedling is left in the pot. The rest are plucked (not pulled out!) so as not to damage the root system of the developed plant. Caring for fodder turnip seedlings is similar to caring for rutabaga and radish.

Planting and care in open ground

The seedlings are transferred outside in the second half of May. In Siberia, fodder turnips are planted with the onset of consistently warm weather. It is necessary to choose a sunny or partially shaded place in a low area. Basic rules for planting and care:

• The best predecessors: strawberries, beets, spring and winter grain crops, annual grasses.
• You cannot plant the plant immediately after cruciferous crops.
• Optimal soil for root crops: loams, soddy-podzolic peatlands with an acidity of 5.0-6.5 pH.
• Preparing the soil in the fall: digging up the site; to a depth of 20-25 cm, it is necessary to add rotted manure at the rate of 1 bucket per 3 m2, wood ash (1 cup per 1 m2) or Nitrophoska (1.5 tbsp per 1 m2). Do not fertilize the soil with fresh manure.
• Rules for planting vegetables: the distance between the holes is 20-30 cm, the row spacing is 40-60 cm. Remove the pre-watered seedlings from the cups along with the soil. Place them in the hole, cover with soil, compact the soil, and water. If the seedlings are in peat pots, you can place the seedlings in the ground directly with the dishes. After watering, mulch the bed with peat.
• Plant care measures: watering, loosening the soil, timely removal of weeds, fertilizing. After watering or rain, the soil is loosened to a depth of 8 cm and weeding is carried out. Before the first loosening, the ground can be sprinkled with mustard and ash - this will repel cruciferous flea beetles. If seeds were sown in open ground, after 2-3 leaves of the plant appear, you need to thin it out.

Watering turnips

With a lack of moisture, root vegetables become bitter, and excessive moisture makes them watery. Forage turnips need abundant watering, but the water should not wash away the soil from the top of the root crop. Water consumption for young plants is 5-6 l/m2, for formed turnips – 3-4 l/m2. It is necessary to water 1-2 times a week, while watching the weather conditions.

Plant nutrition

On poor soils, fertilizing is carried out twice a season. To do this, use organic matter: slurry (1:10) or a solution of chicken manure (1:20). In July or June, superphosphate is added to the organic solution - this increases the sugar content of the crop. Minerals such as manganese, copper and boron are useful for fodder turnips. They are introduced into moist soil, then the soil is loosened. If the soil is fertile, there is no need for fertilizers.

Diseases and pests

Leaves and roots suffer from the same diseases and pests as other members of the Cruciferous family. Prevention measures, methods of control and treatment are indicated in the table:

Cleaning and storing turnips

The root crop matures approximately 24 weeks from the moment of sowing. Signs of technical ripeness: yellowing, wilting and drying of the lower leaves. Plants sown in spring are harvested from the end of June. Early fodder turnips do not store well. Winter varieties are harvested in September/October, taking into account the temperature - frosts below -6°C should not be allowed. Root crops are pulled out or dug up, cleared of soil, and the tops are cut, leaving 2 cm of stems.

You can only store whole, dry and healthy turnips. Frozen root vegetables spoil quickly. The vegetable is kept at a temperature of 0-2°C and a humidity of 85-90%. The turnips are laid out on a flooring of boards, each layer sprinkled with sand. You can dig a trench up to 1 m in the garden, facing south-north, put root crops in it, sprinkle them with peat or dry soil, and cover the top with moisture-proof material.

How to cook turnips

Vegetable good quality crunchy, has a sweetish taste, no bitterness or is felt very distantly. The product makes excellent cold soups and snacks. If the root vegetable is used to prepare a side dish, it must be combined with other ingredients, because not everyone will like the concentrated, sharp taste. Want to experiment in the kitchen? Try the recipes below.

Baked turnips with onion and cheese

• Time: 40 minutes.
• Number of servings: 4 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 1500 kcal.
• Purpose: for lunch, for dinner.
• Cuisine: Russian.
• Difficulty: easy.

Gratin made from forage turnips turns out tender, pleasant to the taste, and aromatic. The combination with onions and cheese will appeal to many lovers of simple but delicious dishes. All products are available, the cooking process itself is quick and enjoyable. The amount of cheese can be varied, and if you want to get a delicious crispy crust, keep the gratin in the oven longer.

Ingredients:

• turnips – 4 pcs.;
• onions – 3-4 pcs.;
• grated cheese – 2 cups;
• butter – 4 tbsp. l.;
• chicken broth – 100 ml;
• heavy cream – 100 ml;
• salt, pepper, herbs - to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Wash the turnips, peel them and cut them into thin slices.
2. Grate the cheese on a coarse grater.
3. Peel the onion and cut into half rings.
4. Place a deep frying pan on the fire and melt the butter.
5. Place a layer of turnips, then a layer of onions, and cheese on top. Fill the products a small amount cream, broth, salt and pepper.
6. Alternate layers until you run out of ingredients. The contents of the pan will already begin to boil.
7. Place the frying pan in the oven, preheated to 180 degrees, bake for a third of an hour.

Appetizer of pork, turnips and apples

• Time: 85 minutes.
• Number of servings: 8 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 2320 kcal.
• Cuisine: Russian.
• Difficulty: medium.

You can surprise guests during a feast with such an unusual appetizer. It's easy to prepare, but it takes time to cook. There are 290 kcal per serving. If you want to reduce the energy value of the dish, use chicken drumstick, rabbit instead of pork, or do not add butter. To keep the meat soft, you can marinate it in a medium-acid marinade.

Ingredients:

• water – 3.5 cups;
• pork shin – 400 g;
• turnip leaves – 1 kg;
• turnips – 600 g;
• apple – 3 pcs.;
• butter – 3 tbsp. l.;
• apple cider vinegar – 2 tsp;
• sugar – 2 tsp.

Cooking method:

1. IN large saucepan pour water, add chopped turnip leaves, meat, ¼ tsp. salt. Bring to a boil, add butter, simmer over low heat for 20 minutes (the leaves should become soft).
2. Peel the apples and cut into small pieces.
3. Cut the turnips into small pieces. Add vegetables and apples to the pan, add vinegar, sugar, ½ tsp. salt, pepper Cook for another 20 minutes (apples and turnips should be soft).
4. Remove the meat and cut into small pieces.
5. Place the contents of the pan in a colander and allow the liquid to drain.
6. Mix the ingredients from the colander with the meat. The appetizer is ready.

Vegetarian soup

• Time: 35 minutes.
• Number of servings: 10 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 988 kcal.
• Purpose: for second breakfast, for a snack.
• Cuisine: Russian.
• Difficulty: easy.

This soup is not too thick and not too thin. The dish is prepared in a four-liter saucepan. The undoubted advantages are the original taste, benefits for the body (it contains a lot of vitamins and minerals!), excellent variety of diet. The soup is very nutritious; if you wish, you can add other vegetables to it, such as zucchini. If vegetarianism is not for you, cook the dish with chicken broth.

Ingredients:

• potatoes – 400 g;
• carrots – 2 pcs.;
• turnips – 400 g;
• leeks – 2 pcs.;
• onion – 1 pc.;
• pearl barley – 100 g;
• bay leaf, parsley, salt - to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Cut the potatoes and turnips into medium cubes and place in boiling water with pearl barley.
2. Cut the onion into small cubes, leeks into thin slices, celery into cubes/slices, carrots into medium cubes.
3. Sauté vegetables for vegetable oil, pour into the pan and cook until tender. Add some salt.
4. 5 minutes before the end of cooking, add parsley, peppercorns, bay leaf.

Video

Types and varieties

There are a large number of types and varieties of turnip rutabaga. Species are divided according to the color of their flesh into white-fleshed and yellow-fleshed. These varieties differ not only in the color of the pulp, but also in other factors. For example, yellow-meat turnip contains more useful microelements than white-meat turnip, but at the same time it is significantly inferior to it in terms of the amount of yield obtained. Also, these types of rutabaga differ slightly in the size of the root crops. In addition, yellow-fleshed turnip can be preserved much longer than its white-fleshed relative.

Each type of turnip rutabaga includes several varieties, which we will tell you about right now.

Yellow meat varieties include the following varieties:

• « Bortfelskaya long" is a variety of rutabaga, which is characterized by underdeveloped tops and rich green leaves. The root vegetable has a yellow skin and is half buried in the ground. The root system is well developed, there are a lot of roots, so extracting a vegetable from the ground can be quite problematic.
• « Yellow Violethead"is a rutabaga with green leaves that have purple petioles, and the root vegetable itself is purple on top, gradually turning yellow below. There are few roots, making it easy to remove rutabaga from the ground. The pulp of the vegetable is juicy, soft and tasty.
• Rutabaga " Grayson"is distinguished by its green root crop, which turns yellow in the underground part. This variety is usually used as feed for livestock or birds, since the pulp of this rutabaga is dry and not very tasty.
• « Yello-tankard" is a variety of yellow-fleshed rutabaga that looks similar to "Grayson" because top part has a fetus green color, which turns yellow in the underground part of the vegetable. It has a large number of roots, which makes it difficult to remove from the ground. The flesh is dark, juicy and sweet.

White-fleshed turnips are also divided into several different varieties, of which the following are the most popular:

• “Östersundom” rutabaga has a purple tint on top and white below, a slightly elongated rounded shape and a large number of roots, which makes the vegetable difficult to remove from the soil. The pulp is white, slightly bitter in taste.
• "Norfolk" is a completely purple root vegetable that has a round and slightly flattened shape, as well as white and juicy flesh. Due to the fact that this variety of rutabaga is only one-fourth immersed in the ground and has a small number of roots, it is very convenient to remove it from the soil.
• The turnip turnip “white ball” variety was developed relatively recently. The root crop is purple-white in color and is impressive in size. The pulp is white, soft and sweet in taste. The vegetable has a small number of roots and is easily removed from the ground.
• “Six-week-old turnip” is a completely white root vegetable with light and sweet flesh. The tops have a light green color. The shape of the vegetable is round, slightly flattened.

Any of the varieties of turnip rutabaga has underdeveloped tops, which makes it different from other relatives. The number of roots may vary depending on the variety.

Beneficial features

The beneficial properties of rutabaga turnips are very diverse, and all because this root vegetable has a rich composition useful substances. Eg, ascorbic acid it contains more than citrus fruits. You can learn more about the vitamin and mineral composition of the root vegetable in the table at the very end of the article.

This vegetable has a diuretic and anti-inflammatory effect on the body. In addition, it can be used as an antiseptic and wound healing agent. Turnips can also be an excellent pain reliever.

The juice of this vegetable can be used as a sedative and expectorant. The bactericidal effect of rutabaga is ensured by the presence of mustard oils and phytoncides.

Use in cooking

Found a useful root vegetable in cooking wide application. Most often, turnip rutabaga is used to prepare salads that go perfectly with meat dishes and various side dishes. In addition, root vegetables are added to stews, soups, side dishes, and they are also used to make very tasty and original sauces.

Turnips can be subjected to any type of cooking: frying, boiling, baking and stewing.

Young leaves of the plant, which taste similar to mustard, are also used for food. They are mainly added to salads, but sometimes also to stews to add flavor.

The benefits of rutabaga turnips and treatment

The benefits of turnip have been appreciated by traditional healers and scientists. For example, some doctors recommend including this root vegetable in their menu for obese and diabetes mellitus. It is useful to use this vegetable as a means to improve intestinal health. This turnip is recommended to be used for polyneuritis, gout and salt deposits.

In folk medicine there are many various recipes, which include turnips. For example, a decoction of this vegetable is recommended for people with bronchitis and asthma. In addition, it helps normalize sleep and acts as a depressant for heartbeat. This decoction also has a mild laxative effect.

A decoction of turnips is prepared in this way: the root vegetables are peeled and crushed, poured with boiling water (1 glass of water per 2 tablespoons of pulp), simmered over low heat for 20 minutes, filtered and cooled. Drink the decoction, dividing it either into 4 doses during the day, or drink it at once before bed.

If you rinse your mouth with a decoction of these root vegetables, you can get rid of toothache.

An ointment prepared from fresh root vegetables can be used to treat frostbite. And it’s very simple to make: approximately 60 grams of grated pulp are mixed with 4 tbsp. goose fat. This product is applied to the affected areas.

Turnip rutabaga is used as an anthelmintic and antitussive.

Boiled and crushed rutabaga turnips can be used as compresses for gout.

Damage to rutabaga turnips and contraindications

Turnips may cause harm to people with stomach and duodenal ulcers. Consumption of the vegetable may cause bloating and increased gas formation, characteristic pains in the intestines. People with severe gastritis should avoid eating this root vegetable. In general, turnips are contraindicated for varicose veins, gastritis with high acidity gastric juice, hypertensive crisis, hypothyroidism, nephritis.

Growing: planting and care

Growing, planting and caring for turnip rutabaga requires some knowledge if you want to get a quality harvest. We invite you to familiarize yourself with useful information from our article to grow this healthy and tasty vegetable.

First of all, I would like to mention that turnip rutabaga is a frost-resistant vegetable, which distinguishes it from its relatives. Root seeds are able to germinate at temperatures as low as one degree of heat, and young seedlings are able to continue growing in frosts up to five degrees below zero. However, if root vegetables have appeared, with frosts of three degrees below zero, the vegetables may deteriorate and stop growing. Most often the plant does not tolerate well high temperatures, preferring cool weather, so rutabaga turnips grow best in September and October, especially if the autumn is rainy.

As for the type of soil, turnip rutabaga grows best on turf and peat soils, the acidity of which is not too high.

Now let's look at how to properly sow rutabaga and care for the harvest at home:

• Before sowing, it is necessary to collect the seeds and subject them to air-heat treatment for five days.
• When sowing, there should be a distance of at least sixty centimeters between the rows.
• The sowing time for rutabaga turnips is from the end of May to the end of August.
• Before planting seeds in the ground, you must first fertilize the soil with vegetable humus.
• The sowing holes should be two centimeters deep.
• After the first shoots appear, it is necessary to plant them in such a way that the distance between them is about fifteen centimeters.

After sowing rutabaga seeds, you just have to wait for the shoots to appear. After you plant them, you need to provide the plants with proper care. Be sure to remove all weeds and loosen the soil between the sprouts. Rutabaga also needs regular watering. Do not overwater the vegetables so that the water does not drain away for a long time; it will be enough to moisten the soil so that the moisture penetrates to the roots. After the root crops appear, the amount of water for irrigation should be reduced by half.

To harvest rutabaga in the fields, a tractor with special attachments is used, and when harvesting by hand, you will need a small shovel. It does not need to be used if the rutabaga variety allows you to extract the root crop without effort. If the vegetable has a large number of roots, you need to carefully dig, freeing the rutabaga from the ground, and freely pull it out of the garden bed.

Turnip - what kind of plant is it?

Turnips belong to the Cruciferous or Brassica family. It is a close relative of the turnip. It is usually grown for livestock feed, but in addition to fodder varieties, there are also tasty edible varieties. Today, mostly rural residents who keep livestock know what turnips are.

In ancient times, turnip was one of the main food products. It has been cultivated by Scandinavian tribes since the Bronze Age. The root vegetable was popular in Egypt, Greece, and Rome, where its nutritional value was equal to bread.

Only with the advent of potatoes, interest in turnips began to gradually disappear, and the nutritious root crop began to be used mainly as feed for livestock.

What does fodder turnip look like and where does it grow?

Turnip is a biennial plant. In the first year, round or oblong root crops of various colors grow - purple, yellowish, almost white. Size - from small, like a radish, to huge - the size of a ten-liter bucket. Turnip seeds ripen in elongated pods and the flowers are yellow. The leaves of forage varieties are pubescent, while those of salad varieties are smooth.

This vegetable is also called fodder turnip.

The largest number of fields with this crop today are in Germany. The root crop is also grown in our country, where the most popular varieties are Ostersundomsky and Nabo turnips.

The benefits of turnip for the human body

Turnips are beneficial for health due to the content of essential oils, organic acids and flavonoids. This juicy root vegetable consists of 90% water, and therefore it is low in calories - 100 g of product contains about 20 kcal. It is also high in vitamin C, calcium and vitamin A.

• Eating turnips improves blood composition - the level of sugar and “bad” cholesterol decreases, and hemoglobin increases.
• The potassium compounds contained in the plant normalize water-salt balance in the body, help remove excess fluid and strengthen the walls of blood vessels.
• The root vegetable has a beneficial effect on the condition of the heart, bones, genitourinary system.

Features of growing turnips

Growing forage turnips is as easy as radishes and radishes.

• It grows well on soddy-podzolic sandy and loamy soil.
• It is better to plant it in an area where plants from the Brassica family have not grown before.
• Forage turnips need loose, well-draining soil that contains essential nutrients.
• Turnips do not like very dry soil; in sandy soil that does not retain moisture, the root crops grow hard and unsuitable for food.

Before planting, seeds can be immersed in hot water (temperature up to 50°C) for 20 minutes, and then in hot water for 3 minutes. cold water. Then they need to be dried and mixed with sand or ash.

You cannot add manure before planting - the root crops will grow branched and ugly in shape.

Forage turnips are sown for the first time in the spring - at the end of April - beginning of May. Once again it can be sown in late June - early July to obtain seeds and winter storage. Summer sowing is done 80 days before the onset of stable frosts.

• Seeds are planted to a depth of about 2 cm.
• After sowing, the area is rolled and mulched with peat.
• Water frequently at first, then reduce watering to 1-2 times a week.
• 10–15 days after germination, the turnips are thinned out and the first fertilizing is applied. Fertilize the second time about a month later.
• The harvest ripens approximately 2 months after sowing the seeds.

How to care for turnips

The crop is unpretentious to grow, but without care it is difficult to get a good harvest. It is important to thin out crops in time to prevent small root crops from growing. Late thinning will reduce the quality and quantity of the harvest because the plants will suppress each other.

1. Fodder turnips are fed with phosphorus-potassium mineral fertilizers. Wood ash is a good fertilizer. Sodium fertilizers give root vegetables an excellent taste. Nitrogen fertilizers should not be overused; turnips grow unsweetened and are poorly stored in winter.
2. To prevent root vegetables from cracking and to grow tasty, they need to be watered regularly. After watering and applying liquid fertilizers, plants are hilled to prevent overheating. The soil between the rows is loosened so that the turnips do not bloom early.
3. To combat pests, plants are pollinated with repellent substances - ash, tobacco dust, mustard, pepper. To combat cruciferous flea beetles, turnips are sprayed with an infusion of garlic, tobacco or celandine. Such products are better than chemicals, since root vegetables will not accumulate harmful substances.

This is interesting: what is rutabaga?

Application areas of fodder turnips

The turnip harvest is well stored all winter in a mixture of sand and ash at a temperature of +5°C. Delicious varieties are used for making salads, stewed, and baked. Dishes made from raw turnips are considered the healthiest; they contain daily dose vitamins A and C, as well as necessary for the body microelements.

To prepare turnip salad, you will need the following products:

• turnips – 1 pc.;
• carrots – 1 pc.;
• butter and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Grind carrots and turnips.
2. Season with salt and oil.

Instead of carrots, you can add other vegetables, hard cheese, boiled egg with dill and season everything with mayonnaise.

To obtain winter greens for salad, turnip root crops are planted tightly in boxes with soil or peat and placed in a warm place. dark room. After a while, almost white shoots grow, tender and nutritious, suitable for food.

A close relative of the turnip, rutabaga, which contains a lot of calcium, is used not only in food purposes, but also for the treatment of patients suffering from softening of bone tissue. Medicinal potions are also prepared from turnips; their recipes have been used for a long time ethnoscience. The root vegetable is used to treat scurvy, colds, insomnia and anemia. It is also used as a healing agent for treating wounds.

Planting and caring for turnips (in brief)

• Landing: Turnips for food in the summer are sown at the end of April, and for storage - in the first ten days of July. Turnip seeds are sown for seedlings in early April, and seedlings are planted in open ground from mid to late May.
• Lighting: bright sunlight.
• The soil: soddy-podzolic peatlands or loams with a pH of 5.0-6.5.
• Watering: abundant, at the rate of 5-6 liters of water per 1 m², 1-2 times a week.
• Feeding: on poor soils - 2 times per season with a solution of bird droppings (1:20) or mullein (1:10). In June or July, superphosphate is added to the solution, which increases the sugar content of root vegetables.
• Reproduction: seed.
• Pests: spring cabbage and sprout flies, wavy and cruciferous flea beetles, cabbage moths, aphids, rapeseed bugs and flower beetles.
• Diseases: clubroot, white, mosaic, black leg and vascular bacteriosis.

Read more about growing turnips below.

Turnip vegetable - description

In the first year of life, turnips form a root crop and a rosette of leaves, and in the second year - flowers and seeds. The leaves of the plant of forage varieties may be pubescent, while salad varieties have smooth leaves. The shape of the root crop can be cylindrical, spherical, round or rounded-elongated. The color of the turnip rhizome, depending on the plant variety, can be yellowish, white, purple, or a combination of any of these colors in one root crop. Yellow turnip flowers, blooming in the second year, are collected in a brush. The fruit is an elongated pod with black or dark red seeds. Turnips are related to crops such as turnips, rutabaga, radishes, radishes, daikon, mustard, horseradish and all types of cabbage. Currently, many table varieties of this tasty and useful crop. We will tell you when to sow turnips for seedlings and when to plant turnips in open ground so that they do not die from return frosts, how to grow turnips in the garden, what varieties of turnips exist, how and when to collect them, where and how to store them, as well as what This valuable food and feed crop has beneficial properties.

Sowing turnip seeds

Planting and caring for turnips is simple and easy. Spring sowing of turnips in the ground is carried out in late April or early May, and summer sowing in the first ten days of July. Growing turnips through seedlings begins in early April. Small seeds are mixed with coarse sand in a ratio of 1:10 and sown in peat pots, then sprinkled with a layer of sand 1-1.5 cm thick, carefully sprayed with a fine spray and, covering the crops with glass or film, placed in a warm place.

Growing turnip seedlings

After the emergence of seedlings, the strongest seedling is left in the pot, the rest are pinched off so as not to damage the root of the developed seedling by pulling it out. Caring for turnip seedlings follows the same principle as caring for turnip, rutabaga or radish seedlings.

Turnip pick

Like all cruciferous root vegetables, turnips do not tolerate transplantation very well, which is why they are sown not in boxes or containers, but in separate pots so that they do not have to be picked.

Planting turnips in open ground

When to plant turnips in the ground

Transplantation of seedlings into open ground is carried out when spring return frosts have passed - from mid to late May. To the question "When to plant turnips in Siberia?" We answer: when stable warm weather arrives. Since turnips really need moisture, they choose a sunny or slightly shaded place in a low-lying area. The best predecessors for turnips are beets, strawberries, winter and spring grain crops and annual grasses, and after cruciferous crops, turnips can be grown on a plot no earlier than 4 years later.

Soil for turnips

Loams and soddy-podzolic peatlands with a pH value of 5.0-6.5 pH are most suitable for the plant. The soil in the garden bed needs to be prepared in the fall: when digging to a depth of 20-25 cm, add rotted manure in the amount of one bucket per 3 m² and one glass of wood ash or one and a half glasses of Nitrophoska per 1 m². Do not use fresh manure for fertilizer - it can cause the pulp of the root crop to darken and lose its taste, and the peel may crack.

How to plant turnips in open ground

Dig holes at a distance of 20-30 cm, keeping row spacing 40-60 cm wide. Carefully remove the pre-watered seedlings from the cups along with a lump of earth, place them in the hole, cover with soil, compact it around the seedlings and water. Seedlings grown in peat pots do not need to be removed from them, but placed in the hole directly with the dishes. When the water is absorbed, mulch the bed with a layer of peat.

Planting turnips before winter

Turnip seedlings are not planted before winter, although winter sowing of turnip seeds in the ground is becoming increasingly popular.

Turnip care

How to grow turnips

Planting and caring for turnips in open ground follows the same rules as growing turnips or rutabaga - you will have to water the bed, loosen the soil on it, remove weeds in a timely manner and apply fertilizer. Loosening to a depth of 8 cm and weeding is carried out after watering or rain. Before the first loosening, it is advisable to sprinkle the bed with ash or mustard to repel cruciferous flea beetles. If you sow turnip seeds directly into the ground, then as soon as the seedlings have 2-3 leaves, you need to thin them out.

Watering turnips

Growing and caring for turnips involves, first of all, timely watering of the plant, since the root crops become bitter due to lack of moisture. At the same time, excessive moisture makes them watery. Turnips need abundant watering, but the water should not erode the soil from the top of the root crop, as this will cause it to turn green and lose its nutritional value. Water consumption per initial stage growth is 5-6 liters per m² of bed, and from the moment the fruits form, the rate should be reduced to 3-4 liters per unit area. The frequency of watering is 1-2 times a week, although the weather may make adjustments to the schedule.

Feeding turnips

On poor soils, turnips are fed twice a season with organic matter - a solution of chicken manure (1:20) or slurry (1:10), adding superphosphate to the organic solution in June or July to increase the sugar content of root crops. Turnips respond well to additional fertilizing with manganese, copper and boron. Fertilizers are applied to the moist soil, and after the solution is absorbed, the soil in the garden bed should be loosened. If you grow turnips in fertile and well-fertilized soil, then you do not need to fertilize.

Pests and diseases of turnip

Like all other cruciferous crops, turnips can suffer from diseases such as clubroot, white, mosaic, blackleg and vascular bacteriosis. Of the pests, the most dangerous for turnips can be considered flies - spring cabbage and sprout flies, as well as wavy and cruciferous flea beetles, cabbage moths, aphids and bugs, rapeseed bugs and flower beetles. You can find detailed information about these diseases and pests in articles devoted to growing turnips, daikon, rutabaga and other plants of the Brassica family, which are already posted on our website.

Turnip processing

Fungal diseases of turnip can be controlled by treating the area with fungicides - Fundazol, Quadris, Fitosporin and other drugs of similar action. There is no cure for diseases such as mosaic, so diseased specimens should be immediately removed and burned. As for pest control, dusting plants with wood ash is effective against flea beetles, while other insects need to be destroyed with insecticides - Actellik, Aktara and similar drugs. But most reliable protection turnip from diseases and pests - strict adherence to crop rotation, agricultural technology and timely care.

Cleaning and storing turnips

On average, turnips take 24 weeks from sowing to mature. When technical ripeness is reached, the lower leaves of the turnip turn yellow, wither and dry out. Turnips sown in spring are harvested from the end of June as they ripen. These root vegetables do not last long. And root crops for winter storage, depending on the variety, are harvested in September or October. Do not allow root vegetables to freeze - at a temperature of -6 ºC they become flabby and lose their keeping quality.

When harvesting, the root crops are pulled out or dug up, removed, cleared of soil, the tops are cut off, leaving only about 2 cm, and placed under a canopy to dry. Only whole, healthy and dry root vegetables without signs of mechanical damage, damage by disease or pests. Keep turnips in storage at a temperature of 0 to 2 ºC and air humidity within 85-90%, laying the root crops on a flooring made of boards. You can dig a trench up to 1 m deep in the garden in the direction from south to north, put turnip roots in it, sprinkle them with dry soil or peat and cover the top with moisture-proof material.

Turnip varieties are divided into yellow-meat and white-meat. The difference is that root vegetables with yellow flesh contain more dry matter than root vegetables with white flesh, and they are stored better, but white-fleshed varieties are more productive. The best varieties Turnips with yellow flesh are considered:

• Long Bortfeld– a variety with underdeveloped tops. The leaves are bright green, raised. Elongated root vegetable yellow color It is immersed in the soil half its length and is difficult to pull out because it has branched roots. The pulp is yellow, medium juicy and excellent taste;
• Finnish-Bortfeldsky– a variety with strong green tops and raised petiolate leaves. The root crop is dark in color, half immersed in the soil, has many roots and is difficult to remove from the ground. The pulp of this variety is yellow, juicy and tasty;
• Greystone– a variety with a medium amount of tops and raised green and yellow leaves on yellow petioles. The root, round and flattened on top, is deepened by a quarter; in the part protruding from the ground it is greenish, scaly, and yellow in the lower part. It has few roots, so it is easily removed from the soil. The pulp is yellow, weakly juicy and unpalatable – typical forage turnip;
• Yellow purple-headed– a variety with underdeveloped tops and raised bright green leaves on purple petioles. The rounded, flattened root, dark purple on top and yellow on the bottom, can be pulled out without much effort. The pulp is yellow, tasty, but weakly juicy;
• Yellow Tankard– a variety with highly developed tops and semi-raised green leaves on green petioles. The root crop is elongated, green at the top, yellow at the bottom, overgrown with roots, immersed in the ground half its length, so it is difficult to remove. The pulp is juicy, dark, of good taste.

The best varieties of turnips with white flesh:

• Turnip Osterzundomsky (Esterzundomskiy)– a variety with underdeveloped tops and semi-raised green leaves on purple petioles. The elongated root crop is purple on top, white at the bottom, deepened by half its length and overgrown with roots, so it is removed with effort. The pulp is white, medium taste with bitterness;
• Turnip Six Week– a variety with underdeveloped tops and raised bright green leaves with light green petioles. Greenish at the top and white at the bottom, the round, slightly flattened root crop is buried a quarter of the volume into the ground, has a small number of roots, so it is easily removed. Pulp white, juicy and excellent taste;
• Norfolk white round– a variety with highly developed tops and green semi-raised leaves on purple petioles. The root crop is round, flattened both above and below, purple, and the color intensity is stronger in the underground part. The root crop is immersed in the ground only a fifth of its length, so it is easily pulled out. The pulp is white, juicy, good taste;
• Round redhead– turnip with developed tops and raised leaves on purple petioles. A rounded, flattened root crop, dark purple at the top and white at the bottom, immersed in the soil a third of its length, so it is easily removed. The pulp is medium juicy and has good taste;
• White ball- a new variety, with a rounded root crop that sits in the ground up to the middle of its length. The above-ground part of the root crop purple, underground – white. The pulp is white and juicy.

Properties of turnip - harm and benefit

Useful properties of turnip

Another benefit of turnip is its ability to lower blood sugar levels, preventing wear and tear and loss of elasticity. blood vessels and helping to lose excess weight. And the potassium compounds contained in the plant are removed from the body excess liquid and sodium salts, which has a positive effect on the condition of the genitourinary system, bones and heart.

Turnips - contraindications

It is not recommended to eat turnip for people with exacerbation of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, since the coarse fiber of this plant can cause severe irritation of the inflamed mucous membrane of the internal organs.

Into the ground as a flea, and out of the ground as a cake - a proverb about turnips. “Simpler than a steamed turnip” is an expression that comes from ancient times... Turnip is the oldest cultivated plant. Genus – Cabbage, family – Brassicas. What are the benefits of turnips and turnips? Before potatoes appeared on the territory of Eurasia, turnips performed their function, being the main dish of the poor population. Turnips and beans are still the main food of some Tibetan monks.
Turnips are the name given to forage varieties of turnips. They don't taste much different.

WHAT ARE TURNIPS AND TURNEPS USEFUL FOR?

Turnips contain calcium (necessary for bone health), vitamins A, C (helps with vitamin deficiency), B1, PP, sugar (suitable for diabetics). Turnip calorie content – ​​32 kcal, the nutritional value: proteins – 1.5 g, fats – 0.1 g, carbohydrates – 6.2 g. Turnips can be included in the diet of children. It is easily absorbed by the body.
Turnip removes toxins from the body, stimulates metabolism and therefore is irreplaceable for excess weight, as it gives a feeling of fullness not due to carbohydrates (like potatoes). Turnip juice soothes and relieves pain. It has expectorant properties. Turnip pulp in a compress helps with joint pain and can be used for bathing. Turnip decoction helps with colds, toothache or gum inflammation. Turnips contain a lot of vitamin K, which is important for the integrity of blood vessels and blood clotting.
Raw turnips are contraindicated for stomach diseases. duodenum, acute gastritis and enterocolitis. Caution is needed when using in case of inflammation of the kidneys and liver. If you have a diseased thyroid gland (goiter), turnips should also not be used.
ARRHYTHMIA. Prepare a decoction: 2 table. spoons of chopped turnips pour 1 glass of water, cook for 15 minutes over low heat, remove from heat, leave for 20-30 minutes and strain. Drink by? glasses 4 times a day.
HEART ATTACKS AND STROKES. Should I drink turnip juice with 1/3 honey? glasses 3-4 times a day.
WITH FLU. Grate the turnips on a fine grater. 2 table. spoons of mass pour 1 tbsp. boiling water, leave for 1 hour and strain. Take according to? glasses 4 times a day half an hour before meals.
Laryngitis, hoarse voice. Grind turnips, 2 tablespoons. spoons of mass pour 1 tbsp. boiling water and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Take warm, a quarter glass four times a day.

RECIPES OF TURNIP AND TURNIPS DISHES

Turnips can be baked, boiled, stuffed with different fillings: both sweet and salty. It is suitable for preparing casseroles, stews, and salads. Turnip tops can be cooked like spinach. The varieties “Shogoyn” and “Seven Top” are suitable. The tops contain calcium.
Turnip salad. Peel the turnips, grate them, add salt, pepper, sour cream or yogurt to taste.
Millet porridge with turnips. 1. Stuff turnips with porridge.
2. Cut the turnips into slices, fry them, add the pre-cooked porridge, and simmer them together. If you add raisins, the dish will become sweeter.
Steamed turnips. 2-3 small turnips, 1 table. a spoonful of mustard oil, 1 teaspoon of honey, a mixture of Provençal herbs and salt to taste.
Wash the turnips without peeling them and place them in a double boiler for 20 minutes over medium heat. Mix mustard oil and honey. Remove the turnips from the steamer, peel, cut into thin slices, salt, pour a mixture of mustard oil and honey, sprinkle with a mixture of Provençal herbs. After softening the herbs, serve the dish.
Stewed turnips with apples. 300 g turnips, 6-7 apples, 100 gr. raisins, 1-2 table. tablespoons butter, sugar to taste.
Peel the turnips and chop finely. Place the turnips in a saucepan, add a small amount of water, add butter. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer over low heat until half cooked. Peel the apples, cut out the middle, and chop. Rinse the raisins. Add sugar to taste, apples and raisins to the pan and bring until done.

HOW TO GROW TURNIPS, AGRICULTURAL TECHNIQUES

In early spring, as soon as the soil dries out, you can begin sowing turnips. She loves sunny places, fertile, moist soil with a slightly acidic or neutral reaction. It is better to sow turnips in a bed where cucumbers, tomatoes, and potatoes grew (that is, after adding organic matter) next to carrots, beets, pumpkin, lettuce, spinach, and dill.
Before planting, soak turnip seeds in hot water 40-45 gr. Turnip seeds are small; to plant, they need to be mixed with sawdust, chalk or sand (ratio 1 to 5). You can glue the seeds onto paper: place them at a distance of 8-10 cm from each other. You can sow turnip seeds in April and July, when the linden tree begins to bloom. Seeds germinate at 2-3 degrees Celsius. For the development of root crops, a temperature of 15-18 degrees Celsius is required. You can grow 2 turnip crops over the summer. For winter reserves, it is better to take turnips from summer sowing. If there is a lack of moisture in the soil, root vegetables acquire a bitter taste, bad smell and also become rude.
The turnip root crop is located on the surface of the ground, only the tail of the root is in the ground. According to the folk calendar, on the 28th of September - Nikita-reporez. On this day, turnips were usually harvested from the garden. Although you can start cleaning from September 11 (St. John's Day).
The most common turnip variety is “Petrovskaya-1”. Grows in 70-80 days. It is yellow in color due to its high carotene content.
The enemies of turnips are the cabbage fly and cruciferous flea beetles. That is why the first sowing of turnips is done in early spring, before the fleas wake up, and the second - when the fleas have already disappeared. To combat these insects, you can pollinate crops with dry mustard, pepper, tobacco dust, and ash. You can use karbofos against cabbage flies, sprinkle the soil with tobacco dust mixed with ash or dolomite flour.

Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants

Photo medicinal plant Turnip (turnip)

Turnip - beneficial properties and contraindications

Turnip (turnip) useful in low-calorie diets for feeding patients with obesity and diabetes.

Latin name: Brassica rapa.

English name: Turnip.

Family: Brassicas - Brassicaceae.

Common names: Turnip.

Parts used: root vegetable

Botanical description: turnip (turnip) is a root plant from the Brassica family. In temperate latitudes it develops as a biennial plant. In the 1st year of life, it forms a basal rosette of leaves and a root crop; in the 2nd year it blooms and produces seeds. When sown, southern forms often bloom in the first year of the root crop’s life. The shape of the root crop is flattened or oblong. The pulp is white or yellow. If there is a lack of moisture and nutrients in the soil, root vegetables may acquire a bitter taste. Turnip leaves come with or without pubescence (in salad forms). The testes reach a height of 50-150 cm. The flowers are yellow, collected in a raceme. The pods are elongated, with a spout. The seeds are black or dark red.

Photo of flowers of the medicinal plant Turnip (turnip)

Habitat: Southern Europe and Afghanistan are considered to be the centers of primary emergence and formation of turnips. Modern salad varieties come from Japan. Currently, turnips have spread widely both in temperate countries and in the tropics.

Active ingredients: contains a rich complex of vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates and organic acids. Up to 45% found in turnip seeds fatty oil. Turnip roots contain twice as much vitamin C as citrus fruits.

Turnip calorie content, protein, fat, carbohydrate content

• 100 g of turnip (turnip) contains 32 kcal
• Proteins - 1.5 g
• Fats - 0.1 g
• Carbohydrates - 6.2 g.

Turnip (turnip) - beneficial properties and application

In Ancient Egypt, turnips were considered food for slaves, and in Rome they were already one of the most widespread and consumed vegetable crops.

But in no other country in the world has turnip been as widespread as in Rus'. She was the main vegetable until he came to replace him.

Photo of turnips, garlic and beets

Turnips began to be used as a medicinal plant in the 18th century, which was noted in herbalists of this period: “The juice from fresh turnips, grated, squeezed and boiled with sugar, makes the right remedy from scurvy in the mouth. Smearing it on swollen and bleeding gums heals them in two days.” In addition, turnip was used as a laxative, diuretic and sedative.

Turnips are recommended for use in low-calorie diets for patients with obesity and diabetes. Turnip has a diuretic, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, wound healing and analgesic effect. In any form, turnip is one of the effective means of healing the intestines. Turnip is used for various polyneuritis, in the treatment of gout and salt deposits.

Turnip juice has an analgesic, sedative and expectorant effect, dissolves kidney stones, stimulates cardiac activity, and has a beneficial effect on joint diseases of rheumatic and non-traumatic origin.

Turnips are recommended to be used for constipation, as a strengthening vitamin remedy. Turnip helps relieve coughing attacks when acute laryngitis and asthma. A decoction of turnip roots is taken for bronchitis and asthma and as a means of improving sleep, calming the heartbeat, and having a laxative effect:

• Recipe for making turnip broth: Pour 200 ml of boiling water over 1-2 tablespoons of chopped turnip roots, cook for 15 minutes and strain. Take 1/4 cup 4 times a day or 1 cup at night.

Fresh turnip juice, sweetened with honey or sugar (diabetics can sweeten), take 1-2 tbsp. spoons 3 times a day.

Turnip root juice is also taken for colds upper respiratory tract. Patients with gastritis and intestinal atony are recommended to include turnips in their diet.

An ointment is prepared from fresh root vegetables to treat frostbitten areas of the body:

• Recipe for making ointment: Mix 2 parts grated turnip with 1 part goose fat. Use to lubricate frostbitten areas of the skin.

Boiled turnips are used externally as a paste for poultices for gout.

• Gout. Boil 1 turnip, peel and grate on a fine grater, mix with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Apply the prepared gruel in a thick layer to the sore spot and cover with a band-aid. Leave the application for at least 1 hour. It is recommended to do the procedure daily for a week. If necessary, repeat the course of treatment after 2 weeks.

Contraindications. At peptic ulcer stomach and duodenum and acute gastritis It is contraindicated to use turnips raw.

Most gardeners grow turnips as a table vegetable, which tastes like turnips; the root vegetable is a biennial plant in the cabbage family. Being one of the varieties of rutabaga, turnips are grown as an agricultural crop and as fodder for livestock. As a result of the painstaking work of breeders, turnips acquired a quite tolerable taste and quite large sizes.

Turnip, plant description

Turnips unpretentious plant, in the first years of growth it forms a root crop and a ground part in the form of a rosette of foliage. Flowering begins in the second year of life, after which you can get seeds.

Forage varieties of turnips have broad foliage with a fleecy part, while salad varieties have smooth and succulent foliage.

Turnips are similar in appearance to turnips; they are also called fodder turnips. The root crop has a cylindrical-round shape, different colors, from yellow to pink, depending on the variety and purpose.

Turnip flowering begins in the second year, during the summer months, the plant blooms yellow flowers, collected in racemose inflorescences. After flowering, the plant forms an oblong pod with seeds - the fruit. Turnip seeds are small, burgundy or black in color.

Turnips are directly related to turnips, rutabaga, radishes, radishes and all types of cabbage. The culture is very useful and today, through selective work, many different varieties for table use have been developed. Planting turnips in open ground is carried out with seedlings or seeds; the plant is not capricious and grows well in different soils.

Growing turnips for feed needs, as a rule, gives good yields, about 150 centners per hectare. All farm animals do not disdain root crops; in addition, the above-ground part of the plant, which is mowed earlier, is used as feed for cattle, and after harvesting, the root crops are fed to pigs. Countries such as the USA, Denmark and Canada have the most extensive areas under turnips.

Turnip prefers turfy and loamy enriched soils and sunny areas. Many gardeners and gardeners grow turnips for personal needs, in particular for their table. Salads are made from the root vegetable and added to vegetable dishes.

Storing turnips involves keeping them in vegetable stores and special trenches and herds.

Types and varieties of turnips

Turnips come in two varieties, yellow-fleshed and white-fleshed. The difference between them is in shelf life, yield and dry matter content in root crops.

The most popular yellow varieties are:

purple turnip, This includes a round root vegetable, slightly flattened, purple in color and yellow flesh, not difficult to grow. The taste is quite suitable for consumption, the variety does not stand out for its juiciness. The tops of the plant are poorly developed, the foliage is located on purple petioles.

Finsk-bortfeldsky, the plant has tall green tops and almost erect petiolate leaves. The root vegetables of this variety are dark in color with yellow flesh. With proper care it gives a good harvest.

Bortfeld long turnip, a plant of this varietal has bright green foliage, slightly raised.

The size is large. With proper care, the fruits are weighty and strong. Interior yellow, juicy with good taste, the variety is intended for table use.

Tankard yellow, turnips with developed, lush, erect tops.

The elongated shape of the root crop in the ripe phase shows up from the soil and does not interfere with extraction. The pulp is yellow in color, quite juicy, suitable for use for table purposes.

Greyston, variety with large, erect foliage, green and yellow. The tops are juicy. Root vegetables o round shape, slightly flattened, with a scaly shell. The lack of a developed root system makes it possible to extract root crops without much effort. Pulp yellowish tint, not juicy. Used for feed purposes.

The white type of turnip is represented by the following various varieties:

Östersund turnip, It is distinguished by an underdeveloped root system, not lush, bright green tops, on bluish petioles.

The fruits are easy to pull out, have an elongated shape, are moderately juicy, whitish inside, and have a bitter taste. The variety is grown for livestock feed and for preparing feed for the winter; the vegetable is subject to long-term storage.

Six week old turnip, the tops are strong, located on thick petioles. The roots are flattened, white, and when fully ripe they “jump” out of the soil. The color of the fruit is light, white inside.

The pulpy part is juicy and suitable for table use. The variety goes well with vegetables in salads.

Turnip white ball, The name justifies its shape; such a round root vegetable is rarely seen. The pulp of the vegetable is whitish and juicy. The outside of the fruit is purple. It sits tightly in the ground, but pulls out with a bang.

Bred by breeders relatively recently, the variety has gained great popularity for its large size and excellent taste.

Norfolk or white round turnip. The plant is unpretentious and produces good yields with minimal care. The tops are thick and strong, the foliage is on thick petioles and stands upright. The root vegetables are large, round in shape, the underground part of the vegetable is colored blue-violet, and when ripe the above-ground part of the root vegetable becomes lighter.

It is pulled out without effort, the flesh part is white, juicy, tastes without bitterness, suitable for salads and vegetable dishes.

red-headed turnip, round in shape and medium in size, the root crop is named because of its color. The shape is slightly flattened, has a dark purple color around the tops, otherwise a light shade. It is removed from the soil with enviable ease, the taste is without bitterness, but the pulp is a bit dry for salads; the variety is more suitable for preparing vegetable dishes.

Growing turnips: planting and care

Growing turnips with proper care is not difficult. The culture responds to moderate humidity and fertilizing and does not tolerate heat and drought.

The best conditions for growing turnips are soil rich in humus, an area with variable solar activity, abundant moisture and moderate temperature. The plant thrives in cool summers and produces abundant harvests in middle lane Russia.

Stagnation of moisture can have a detrimental effect on the plant and give rise to root and tuberous rot. Therefore, excessive waterlogging should not be allowed. Take care of the drainage capacity of the soil in advance, and correct the situation in advance (if there is a problem with the soil) by adding a bucket of sand to each square meter of soil.

Due to the fact that turnip grows on almost all soils except salt marsh, its planting is possible in any place and climatic latitude, however, if you plan to get a rich harvest, you should allocate “richer” soils for planting turnips.

Planting turnips is possible both with seeds and already purchased or grown seedlings. Before proceeding with one method or another, it is necessary to prepare the soil in advance. From the beginning of autumn, the site is dug up, organic fertilizers(a bucket of rotted manure per square meter of land) and harrow. After a week, the soil can be saturated with mineral fertilizers by adding superphosphate or nitroammophosphate (0.5 kg for every 2 sq.m.).

Before planting, the soil is dug up and harrowed again, horizontal depressions are made, about 2-2.5 cm deep, leaving a half-meter “step” between them. Turnip seeds are quite small, so gardeners recommend mixing them with sand. You will need about 3 kg. per hectare of sown area. Crops will appear at the proper temperature and humidity within one and a half to two weeks.

Planting turnips with seedlings grown at home or purchased is not much different from sowing seeds. The seedlings are planted in the prepared soil in a square-cluster or linear manner, preventing the plants from becoming crowded, and then watered with water from a sprinkler so as not to erode the soil.

Caring for turnips is not complicated, and requires regular watering, protection of the crop from weeds, and a couple of fertilizing will not be superfluous. At first, turnips will need a lot of moisture to allow the root crop to develop; a day after watering, loosen it. It is important to prevent drought and “clogged” soil.

If the turnip tuber is left without watering during the formation of the tuber, it will dry out, and if you do not provide enough moisture during the development of the root crop, then with a 100% probability the vegetable will taste bitter.

With average precipitation in your region, you should water at least 2-3 times a week.

During the period of intensive growth, two to three weeks after planting, turnips will need feeding; use compost diluted 2:10 l. It is not forbidden to use mineral fertilizers during the development phase of the root crop, but without unnecessary zeal, otherwise there is a risk that the vegetable will be filled with “chemistry”.

Protective measures against weeds have long been known to you, and this is, of course, the “good old” hoe. Therefore, as necessary, weed the rows in evening time or early in the morning.

Benefits of turnip

Probably, many of us don’t even know what turnips are, and what they are needed for in general. However, if you are interested in this nutritious vegetable, you've heard of him after all. So, turnip is one of the indispensable for our body plant products, which help us maintain our health and even cope with some diseases.

Turnips can overcome constipation, excess weight, its use is indicated for diabetics and obese people.

Turnip primarily contains vitamins and minerals. Just 75 grams of turnip vegetable pulp will saturate the body with essential substances.

The composition of the product is varied and includes such important substances as proteins, carbohydrates, organic acids, flavonoids and vitamins. Turnip seeds enriched linolenic acid, vegetable fats, oils and vitamin C. In addition, the vegetable contains large quantities of vitamins B, A, E, potassium, magnesium and iron.

If you eat turnips every day, you can normalize digestion and also replenish your body’s reserves of vitamins and minerals.

Turnip thanks a large number Vitamin C in its composition helps strengthen the walls of blood vessels. As for the taste of the vegetable, due to the absence of bitter oils, the root vegetable does not taste bitter and fits well into vegetable dishes.

Turnips are suitable for dietary nutrition and is used by people suffering overweight, as a mono product, because 100 gr. Turnip pulp contains only 32 calories.

The influence of turnips on the body’s immune system, like any other vegetable, is invaluable. Thanks to fiber, vitamins and minerals, turnip fights gastrointestinal diseases.

Turnip is capable of long-term use normalize blood pressure, influence blood thinning, preventing the formation cholesterol plaques, preventing thrombophilia and strokes.

In addition to the above, turnip strengthens blood vessels, reduces the risk of developing infectious diseases, by increasing immunity.

Relieves swelling and inflammation locally, for superficial burns and bruises.

Daily use turnip reduces psychological stress, improves memory and helps restore concentration.

Cleaning and storing turnips

At proper care and if you have high-quality seed material, you can get a fairly rich harvest of turnips. As for harvesting turnips, in small areas and personal personal plots, harvesting is carried out manually, but industrial-scale areas are harvested using combines and agricultural machinery.

For feed needs, the tops are first cut, fed to livestock, and then the root crops are dug up. Before storage, the vegetable is dried, removing clods of earth. Root crops are stored in a cellar or herds at a temperature of no more than +3 degrees.