I dug up some turnips and radishes from the thawed ground in my garden on a balmy 60-degree day in early February and roasted them for dinner. The radishes were firm and surprisingly tasty for midwinter. As for the turnips, though they look good (see photo), they had a mushy texture–nothing like they are in their crisp prime, and no wonder. They’ve frozen and thawed quite a few times in the last couple of months. But they were certainly edible, earning all the more respect from me.
Hakurei turnips are the one crop that never fails in my gardens. Almost all the seeds germinate, even the few I’ve spilled in the paths between rows, grow to maturity. Planted in succession from early spring into the fall, they yield a continuous harvest of tender little turnips and greens that are as good as the turnips themselves.