Dear LPG,

I took a look at a list of the top ten most popular vegetables eaten in the UK recently and, I am sure that many will not be surprised to learn that the turnip did not feature. 

However, these odd tasting gifts of the ground have a lot to recommend them.  They were there when many other vegetables weren’t during the war years, and they even became the inspiration for the name given to a particular period of German austerity in 1917.  I think that most people see them in the same category as Marmite in as much as you either ‘like them or you hate them’ and I know quite a few turnip haters (including me!)  They do have a distinctive flavour although most people remember it because of their dislike.

I am not sure quite what inspired me apart from the fact that I felt that they needed a bit of a reason to be remembered.  As you can see, my memories of them from childhood did not leave me completely singing their praises…

TURNIPS

A vegetable

For humans?

Or grown

For cattle?

Harder than

Parsnips

But not

Squashes.

(Who ever

Saw squashes

In 1940s

Dublin?)

I carried

Home

The turnip

In a string bag

Me dad

Had to

Cut it

I failed.

Big

Round

Tough

Awkward

Tasteless

Now I know

It’s food

For cattle.

Foster Murphy

LPG thanks Foster for reminding us of this humble foodstuff, but we thought that we should make an effort to raise the profile of them a little in the minds of those who remember them as one to be avoided after all the bad press that they get.   Did you know that they are very nutritious, easy to grow and contain relatively few calories…?

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LPG sourced some online recipes that might help those who haven’t bought one for years to have another go…

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