January 8, 2018

Harvest Monday, 1/7/18

5 out of 7 different varieties of turnips sautéed with butter and Penzey's Mural of Flavor herb seasoning and just a pinch of sugar and salt.

The little turnips were roasted on Friday for dinner and they were delicious. There's definitely a difference in flavor with each variety. Some were sweet, some were savory, and just a couple had a touch of pungency.
It's been pretty cold here the last couple of weeks. We've been enjoying 7 degree (-14 Celsius) temperatures regularly, so there's not much salvageable in the garden except turnips, corn salad, and spinach.

With the passing of the new year, it is about time to think about starting onion, leeks, and shallot seeds. If it warms up enough I'll probably start them at the end of January or beginning of February in the unheated greenhouse. I've also been thinking about trying potatoes again. They were so easy to grow in Idaho, but I've had zero luck growing them in Kentucky. Either way, I am very excited for the coming gardening season.

Please join us for Harvest Monday hosted by Michelle at From Seed To Table.

13 comments:

Sue Garrett said...

I thought it was cold enough here but nothing like as cold as you are experiencing. There will be no seed sowing here for a while,

Michelle said...

Turnips are such an under appreciated vegetable. I don't have any to enjoy at the moment because I didn't get around to sowing them in the fall. I can't believe the cold blast that the eastern states are enduring, especially since it's been unusually warm here.

Jane Strong said...

That plate of turnips makes my mouth water. I like turnips but it is impossible to find young ones in stores and for some reason bulby things like turnips and beets go right straight to flowers here.

Phuong said...

Hi Sue,
It has been unusually cold this year, it gives me hope that maybe the bug population will be less this summer. It's amazing that your rhubarb is breaking dormancy already, hinting of spring to come.

Phuong said...

Hi Michelle,
Cooked turnips are truly lovely, I can see why people enjoy mashed turnips instead of mashed potatoes. I do wish our radishes did better, but we have some tiny ones I'm going to roast.

Phuong said...

Hi Jane,
Even with our beautifully long falls, I am completely unable to grow beets. I'm going to try a spring planting this year instead.

Your garden is really beautiful this time of year, that agave is amazing and I didn't realize orange trees actually got that large.

Darren @ Notes From the Allotment said...

Hi Phuong - They look delicious! What's your top-tip variety?

Margaret said...

The turnips look wonderful! I had some amazingly sweet turnips a couple of years ago, but lately they have been a bit on the spicy side, probably because they were touched by too much heat.

I'm so excited for the coming season as well and will be seeding my onions not much later than you are. Hurray for a fresh start!

Mary Hysong said...

Your turnips sound good. I haven't had much luck; they want to bolt quickly. I think our hot dry weather is to blame

Phuong said...

Hi Darren,
I grew a couple of red varieties Tsugaru Scarlet turnip and Red Round turnip, both did excellent in the garden and formed roots quickly. They were both slightly sweet and savory with just a touch of pungency.

Phuong said...

Hi Margaret,
I'm very excited about this coming gardening season. This year we're going to grow two big patches of corn. I found a black variety that's supposed to be a good sweet corn from Baker Creek, fingers crossed since I've never grown corn here before.

Phuong said...

Hi Mary,
It gets too hot here to do a springtime planting, they get super spicy and bolt. I don't even bother growing radishes in the spring.

Phuong said...

Hi Darren,
Sorry, I haven't been able to post a comment on your blog it just won't let me anymore.