Wild turnipis a close botanical congener of its more popular , cultivated counterpart . In show , wild white turnip is nearly identical to cultivated diversity of the plant life . Because of its hardiness , wild turnip mature abundantly throughout moderate regions , especially in disturbed sphere . In many places , the plant life is so widespread that it is regarded as a weed . Many urban forager take advantage of wild turnip ’s abundance and habituate it extensively as a food rootage . Wild turnip is easy to identify and all parts of the industrial plant are edible .
Finding and Identifying Wild Turnips
Step 1
seem for wild turnips in ground that has been agitate by human activeness . raving mad white turnip grows well in suburban lawn , roadsides and abandoned fields . Begin your wild - turnip search during the warm months , when the flowers and flower - heads can enable easier identification .
Step 2
run down the area for clump of improbable , upright plants with bright yellow peak . The bold colouration of the turnip flowers make the plant sluttish to spot in large , overgrown areas . In ecumenical , mature barbaric turnip plants are two feet to one yard in tiptop .
Step 3
Compare the industrial plant to photo of angry white turnip . waste turnip have bloom - heads that look jolly interchangeable to broccoli ; they form clustering at the top of the grandiloquent stems . The heyday have four petals and six stamens , and the stem turn of plants work a branching radiation pattern .
Step 4
Differentiate between untamed white turnip and other members of the brassica genus , such as chadlock , wild Japanese radish , wild common beet , watercress and wild mustard . green specimens of the white turnip have wart - like growths on the leafage – a trait unique to the turnip . In fledged plants , prominent leaf will wrap around , or " brooch " the stems . All appendage of the brassica genus are edible , but misidentification could lead to culinary mistakes .
Step 5
Harvest groundless white turnip according to seasonal availability . In the early spring and early autumn , the flower bud have a grain similar to broccoli . reap the leaves , or " green " of the wild white turnip before they reach full maturity – mature leaves have a impregnable , acrid flavor . The root of dotty turnip become very arduous and fibrous deep in the winter , but root harvested in autumn are usually tender enough to consume .
Tip
Wash all parts of the plant exhaustively before falsify with them . Hard , dense ascendant are too hard to wipe out , but they can be used to make vegetable broth .
Warning
Beware of plants produce near heavy pollution sources , such as main road – these may hold in insecure levels of chemical contaminants . Do not eat any plant that you have not positively identify .
