Turnip greens are good to keep as they can be eaten on their own, added to a salad, or included as an ingredient in veggie broth.
Don’t use hot water as it can affect the taste and damage the texture of the turnip greens.
Essentially what you’re doing here is creating a saline solution, which kills germs and will help to keep the greens fresh in storage. If you are avoiding salt, take care to wash the greens with cold water to completely rinse them of salt water. A saline solution is necessary to kill small organisms, but you can get rid of all the salt with a good rinse.
Turnip greens will last for less than a week in the fridge before they go bad, so use them quickly!
Chop up damaged turnips, cutting away the bruised or sliced portion, and use them in a stew or broth for added bitter-sweet flavor.
Washing the turnips is not recommended if you want to keep the turnips for more than 2 weeks, but if you plan on using them within that time it helps keep them fresh. If you want turnips to last longer, store them out of the fridge in a container.
Make a final check to see if there are any leaves or stems remaining on top — if there are, cut them away as close to the root as possible before storage, as leaves make turnips rot very quickly.
If your fridge has the capability, turn the humidity up to 95 percent and the temperature to 32–40 °F (0–4 °C) to create conditions that let turnips last up to 6 months![4] X Research source
Peat moss is another good choice for an insulating material, but fresh, untreated moss could house small bugs that could damage your turnips.
It’s important to keep the turnip roots separated by a 2 in (5. 1 cm) layer of insulating material as turnips rot much quicker if they touch.
They should last for up to 6 months if kept in these conditions, especially in the fall and winter seasons as the air is naturally colder and windier. [7] X Research source This is a modernized version of the way medieval Europeans would keep turnips good over the wintertime, relying on their turnip stores to survive each year.
An easy way to do this is to make cuts every . 5 in (1. 3 cm) lengthwise, turn the turnip 90 degrees, then cut away cubes at a right angle to your previous cuts every 0. 5 in (1. 3 cm).
The blanching process helps to preserve the turnips as it softens the skin and moistens the roots, making them come out of the freezer soft and ready to cook.
The cubes can last for up to a year in the freezer if stored this way, but check on them every now and then to look for deterioration or freezer burn. [11] X Research source You can prepare turnips in different ways. For example, roast them in a pan. [12] X Research source Pickle them and put some beet juice in the pickled turnips. Or mash them like a potato. It is a lower carb option for a potato. [13] X Research source
