I love turnips, the greens and all. When early spring rolls around in the south they are abundant and delicious. When we get them we roast them, add to mashed potatoes for a little extra flavor and zing, sautéed them with their greens in butter and finally, towards the end of the season, pickle them.
Pickling turnips is easy and total time in? About 15 minutes.
Ingredients:
2 pounds of turnips
1/3 cup kosher salt
3 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 cup white vinegar
1 small beet (optional but adds great color and a bit of sweetness)
4 cloves of garlic
Bring the water to a rolling boil, remove from the heat and add the salt and the bay leaves. Stir until the salt is fully dissolved then let cool to room temperature, then add the vinegar.
Peel the turnips and the beet then cut into strips and put in a jar. Add garlic and the liquid, seal and let sit on the counter top for 4 or 5 days, then refrigerate. They stay good for about a month, but they never last more than a few days around here!
