Turnips vs. Radishes: How to Use Turnips and Radishes

Turnips are root vegetables belonging to the Brassica family, which also includes cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli. Round in shape, raw turnips have crunchy, starchy white flesh that can taste like cabbage. Turnips might feature a purple top if the root is exposed to sunlight in its final stages of growth.

Turnips are harvested from October through March, making them a popular autumn and wintertime vegetable. In certain parts of the United Kingdom (as well as certain provinces in Canada) “turnip” refers to rutabaga, a similar root vegetable in the Brassica family with yellow coloring.

Radishes (Raphanus sativus) are a cool-season root vegetable and a member of the Brassicaceae family. Radish plants are biennials—its life cycle is two years long—but the root veggie can also be grown as an annual. The colorful root vegetable has two growing seasons: spring and winter. Common kinds of radish include Daikon, horseradishes, and round radishes. Good for the immune system, radishes contain potassium, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, and K.

Turnips and radishes are both edible root vegetables that share nutritional benefits, such as vitamin K and potassium. However, they have unique appearances and uses:

• Size: Radishes tend to be smaller than turnips. Radishes can be as small as a half-dollar coin, while turnips are about the size of a fist.
• Color: Radishes are often brighter; they can be a deep red, almost purple color, whereas turnips are usually white or tan with light to dark purple hues nearer their tops, close to the stem.
• Taste: Turnips and radishes can be consumed raw, though their tastes will vary. Radishes and turnips get spicier as they mature, but turnips also become more bitter and starchy.
• Uses: Culinarily, radishes and turnips can both be cooked; the main difference is that turnips are more often roasted, and radishes are often served raw in salads.

There are several ways to enjoy turnips, be they raw or braised, cooked or sautéed:

1. 1. Raw: Turnips are normally cooked, but you can consume raw turnips. Uncooked turnips have a mildly spicy flavor and a crispy, starchy flesh. You can serve raw turnips with a dip or add them to a salad.
2. 2. Blanch: Turnips go nicely with a vegetable platter or crudités spread. Blanch them whole and then slice; because of white turnips’ lack of color, it’s nice to serve them alongside colorful veggies (like carrots or bell peppers). Mix an aioli for dipping and serve.
3. 3. Roast: You can wash, chop, and roast turnips like fingerling potatoes. Mix them in salt, pepper, and olive oil and cook at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until they soften and crisp. Garnish with minced chives or parsley, and serve with an aioli for dipping.
4. 4. Mash: You can mash turnips like potatoes for a lighter side dish to accompany a fish or beef entree. Cooked turnips are more dynamic in taste than most potatoes and exude a slightly sweet and nutty flavor.
5. 5. Stew: Add turnips to winter stews and vegetable soups. Turnips are lower in carbohydrates than potatoes so they work nicely in hardier stews without packing in sugar-dense tubers.
6. 6. Braise: You can also eat the leafy greens of turnips. Braised turnip greens, similar to mustard greens in flavor and rich in Vitamin C and Vitamin K, are a popular side dish in Southern cuisine, but you can also use their rich, bitter leaves to enhance pesto or turnip soup.

Red radishes can add a pop of color and crispness to a dish. Consider using radishes in the following sides and salads:

• Mix in a salad. Red radishes can be washed and thinly sliced and added into a salad for extra crunch. Sweeter vinaigrettes complement the peppery bite of fresh radishes, and the red color stands out in a bowl of leafy greens.
• Add to sandwiches. Daikon radish looks like a white carrot and has a milder taste than peppery red radishes. You can slice and pickle these radishes to use as a topping for a banh mi sandwich.
• Blanch for crudités. With their bright red color, many radishes are a vibrant addition to a vegetable platter. Blanch the radishes whole, then slice and add them to a veggie spread for a party appetizer or mid-day snack.
• Roast for a side dish. Cooking radishes takes away some of their bite. Wash, slice in half, and toss them in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake the radishes with the sliced side down for fifteen minutes, longer if you want them softer. You can add roasted radishes to a grain bowl of quinoa and veggies, or use them in a sauce-less pasta dish with Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and olive oil.

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