One of the surprising aspects of our farm share arrangement is the volume of turnips that we have received. I don’t remember if we knew ahead of time that turnips were a major crop, but if we did learn that, I didn’t really understand what that would mean. What it’s meant is that we have received dozens of (smallish) turnips, of several varieties, over the course of the past few months. I have always liked turnips, so this hasn’t been a problem in terms of taste, especially since the particular turnips we’ve received are tender, sweet, and fresh out of the ground when they’re delivered to us.

The challenge is more one of volume. I could, and probably will, fall back on simply roasting turnips as a vegetable dish, but I prefer to find recipes that include turnips as a main ingredient. I’ve found three this fall that I’ve liked—turnips and greens soup, a Marrakesh lamb stew from Simply In Season (that I make with ground turkey), and a chicken soup. Over the course of the fall, I’ve used about a crisper drawer’s worth of turnips in this manner, a fact of which I’m rather proud.

That being said, I currently have a crisper drawer, plus an additional gallon bag, full of turnips. As a result, I find myself trolling the internets looking for turnip recipes. I could try some of Mr. Neep’s suggestions, many of which look quite good, or look through the lists on any number of other cooking sites. A quick read suggests that I can (1) make them into a soup, (2) cook them with butter, (3) mash them with butter, and/or (4) eat them at the side of a big hunk of mammal or mixed in with cheese. Option four doesn’t meet our stringent household dietary codes, but I am pretty sure I can work with the other three categories.

Mmm, turnips. Conveniently, it’s lunchtime.