Turnip tops

Turnip tops are young, tender leaves and stems with a fresh, lightly peppery flavour reminiscent of mustard and young cabbage. They’re lovely raw in salads, and also great briefly stir-fried or folded through mash right at the end.

Latin name: Brassica rapa (young leaves)
Origin: Europe and Asia
Height: 15–30 cm
Life cycle: annual (harvested young)

Description

Turnip tops are the young leafy growth of turnip/turnip rape (a Brassica rapa type). Because they’re harvested early, the leaves stay tender and the flavour remains bright. Look for fine green leaves, often slightly frilled, with slender stems.

In the kitchen

Use turnip tops raw with a simple dressing of oil and lemon, perhaps with apple, radish, cucumber or a soft-boiled egg. When cooking, keep it quick: stir-fry for 30–60 seconds, or stir through mash, soup or pasta right at the end. They pair well with potatoes, butter, nutmeg, cream cheese, goat’s cheese, smoked salmon and sesame.

Storage & preparation

Keep turnip tops in the fridge, loosely wrapped, and ideally use within 1–2 days, as the leaves are delicate and lose freshness quickly. Rinse thoroughly (grit can hide in the leaves) and dry gently. Trim the very ends of the stems if needed and prepare just before serving for the best flavour and texture.