Turnips like melons
Living on a small island gives people a different mentality. Living on Westray ranks somewhere between living on the main islands of Great Britain and being marooned alone on a desert island. I’m told that when you’re marooned, living alone and with little food, you begin to hallucinate and that strange and unfamiliar foods remind you of familiar tastes of home. It’s no surprise then when my friend Chris tells me that his turnips taste like melons. “Like melons”, I say, nodding to humour him as if he’s Benn Gunn on Treasure Island. He kindly gives me a handful and I cook them in a large casserole.
They taste just like turnips to me.
Turnip ‘Oasis’
Brassica rapa (Rapifera Group)
Hardy Annual
If you have never tried to grow this vegetable, you must try Turnip Oasis. Can be picked at any size with a surprisingly sweet juicy flavour similar to a melon. Turnip Oasis is delicious when eaten raw like an apple, or grated and added to salads. Resistant to virus. Ideal for summer and autumn harvests.