Boost your immunity and keep gray hair at bay with turnips.  Turnips score twice with a root vegetable as well as edible leafy greens. Vitamin C, present in the root of the vegetable, helps boost your immunity, which is a plus during this cold and flu season. Second, the leafy greens have a great mineral content, including copper, which is said to keep you from getting gray hair.

The organic farm at Paul Quinn College has purple-top white-globe turnips for sale.  I like to cook the greens and make baked turnip fries.

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Turnip Greens

3-5 pound of turnip greens

2 teaspoons olive oil

½ teaspoon sea salt

2 slices of bacon, chopped

  1. Fill a large pot with one inch of water.
  2. Add olive oil, sea salt, and bacon.
  3. Add turnip greens.
  4. Turn on the burner to medium heat and cover.  The water will start to steam to the top.
  5. Cook the turnip greens for about 5-10 minutes; most of the water will be gone.  Serve with Baked Turnip Fries.

 

Baked Turnip Fries

3 pounds turnip bottoms

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and place parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
  2. Cut the turnips into french fry size pieces and place in a bowl.
  3. Toss the turnip pieces with the oil, garlic powder, and salt.
  4. Place turnip pieces in a single layer on the cookie sheet and put in the oven.
  5. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Serve with Turnip Greens.

What to plant this week:

Radishes – reduce sinus ailments and hay fever
Beets – natural blood purifiers, cleanse the intestines, liver, gallbladder and kidneys
Collards – nutritional powerhouse with anti-cancer properties
Spinach – be strong like Popeye; spinach is full of vitamins and minerals
Turnips – high in fiber and vitamin B6
Oregano – is said to help control cholesterol
Strawberries – sweet vitamin C packet
Broccoli – dietary fiber and vitamin C
Cabbage – healthy bones from its vitamin K
Cauliflower – antioxidant, anti-inflammatory
Arugula – a spicy leafy green with anti-viral properties
Mustards – eating regularly is said to prevent arthritis

Garden Lady’s green dates to remember:

Feb. 12 Rainbow Garden Club Dallas Garden Talk at Repotted
Feb. 18,  8:30 a.m., Small Scale Urban Agriculture class at the TOFGA Conference.
Feb. 17-19 Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association Conference at the Mesquite Convention Center