As the name suggests, the tender turnips are a typical spring vegetable. The beets impress with their fine, slightly sweet taste. Turnips go well with many salads and taste great eaten raw with a delicious dip. But they are also good for hearty gratins or as a vegetable side dish. This article tells you how to preserve seasonal vegetables by freezing them.
Turnips are only in season for a short time
Tips for shopping
You should only freeze turnips that are fresh. You can recognize this by the following characteristics:
- The skin is completely smooth and shows no grooves, furrows or cuts.
- Leaves and stems are crisp and a juicy light green color.
- Do the thumb test: If the turnip gives way when you press your thumb, it may be woody.
After purchasing, store the turnips, unwashed and with the greens, in the crisper of the refrigerator. Here they keep for a week.
Freeze turnips
If you have a lot of turnips in the garden, you can freeze part of the harvest for about ten months:
- Wash the turnips and peel off the peel with a vegetable peeler.
- Cut into strips or cubes according to personal preference.
- Bring salted water to a boil in a saucepan.
- Prepare a bowl of ice water.
- Add the vegetables to the boiling water and blanch for two minutes.
- Then deter.
- Drain in a colander and let cool completely.
- Pour into freezer bags or suitable containers and freeze.
Once frozen, turnips become soft after thawing and are no longer suitable for raw consumption. However, you can use them while still frozen like fresh turnips for tasty side dishes or casseroles. Please do not let them cook for too long, otherwise they will no longer have a bite.
tips
You can sow turnips in the garden very early in the year, for example in the cold frame. After just six to eight weeks, with a diameter of eight to twelve centimetres, they are ready to be harvested. It is advisable to cover the beets with a net after germination, as cabbage flies love the tender leaves of the plants.