It is believed that bitterness is a characteristic feature of turnips. But not everyone likes it. Those who love turnips sweeter should not only choose special (sweet) varieties, but also be able to grow them correctly.
Why are turnips bitter?
This is not to say that the bitterness in the taste of turnip is its disadvantage. Many vegetable lovers prefer root vegetables with a little bitterness, while others, on the contrary, like only sweet turnips. To achieve the desired result, you need to know what affects the taste of root vegetables and why they grow bitter.
Causes of bitterness:
- a peculiarity of the variety (those varieties of turnips that are slightly bitter have more mustard oils in their composition than the rest);
- excess fertilizer;
- violation of the irrigation rate - excess or lack of water;
- soil features, excessive acidification;
- too hot summer (the temperature of about 18 ° C is considered optimal for the formation of sweet root crops);
- violation of the terms of cleaning;
- watering in the daytime (turnips should be watered late in the evening).
Rules for growing turnips without bitterness
There are rules of agricultural technology, the violation of which leads to a deterioration in the quality of root crops, including the appearance of bitterness in the taste.
In order for the taste of the turnip to match the varietal qualities, it must grow on good soil, receive the necessary watering and proper nutrition. It is these three factors - soil, water and top dressing that most strongly affect the taste of root crops.
The soil
The most delicious, juicy and sweet turnip grows on fertile soils, neutral or slightly acidic. If you plant a vegetable on loam, the roots will be hard and with a bad taste.
If the soil on the site is acidic, it must be deoxidized, that is, use alkali to neutralize the acid:
- Lime. The dosage depends on the degree of acidity:
- acidic soils - 500 g per 1 sq. m;
- medium acid - 300 g per 1 sq. m;
- slightly acidic - 200 g per 1 sq. m.
- Ground limestone. The dosage depends on the type of soil and acidity:
- sandy loam and light loam - from 200 to 400 g per 1 sq. m;
- medium and heavy loams - from 350 to 400 g per 1 sq. m.
- Dolomite flour. It can be brought in both for planting and for digging. The amount of flour depends on the acidity of the soil:
- acidic soils - 500 g per 1 sq. m;
- medium acid - 400 g per 1 sq. m;
- slightly acidic - 300 g per 1 sq. m.
- Wood ash. It is not only an effective deoxidizer, but also an excellent fertilizer. The application rate depends on the composition of the ash and the content of calcium salts, which ranges from 30-60%. To fully deoxidize the soil, it is necessary to add 1-1.5 kg of ash per 1 sq. m.
Turnip grows especially well after cucumbers, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, courgettes and legumes.
In order for the young shoots of turnip to be strong, and its roots to gain weight and be tasty, it is necessary to properly prepare the soil for sowing.
For each square meter of area, you need to add:
- urea - 20 g;
- superphosphate - 40 g;
- potassium chloride - 20 g.
If the soil is infertile, organic matter is introduced - humus or compost. The norm is 3-4 kg per 1 sq. m. It is recommended to apply organic fertilizers in the fall, during the digging of the soil.
It is not recommended to introduce manure, otherwise the turnip may taste bitter!
Watering
It is recommended to plant turnips in flat or slightly lowered areas - the optimal level of moisture is maintained there. This vegetable loves well watering, abundant and regular. When there is a lack of moisture, the roots grow bitter and too dense. While still in the ground, they dry and crack, lose their presentation.
The turnips are watered 2-3 times a week. The frequency of watering is adjusted taking into account the weather - if there are dry days, the vegetable beds are moistened more often. Watering rate - 30 liters per 1 sq. m.
Watering is especially important at the stage of root crops ripening - 3-4 weeks before harvest, when root crops are formed. If at this stage the culture is deficient in water, the turnip will grow unpalatable.
Fertilizers
Turnip grows quickly, so many gardeners do not feed it. If the soil is rich, then there is enough wood ash introduced digging in autumn... If the plant lags behind in development, and its roots are in no hurry to gain weight, it is necessary to apply fertilizer. For example, urea - 15 g per 1 sq. m.
Experienced gardeners recommend feeding turnips on infertile soils twice:
- After thinning the seedlings. For 1 sq. m make 10 g of ammonium nitrate.
- One month after the first feeding. Turnips are fed with superphosphate and calcium chloride - 10 g per 1 sq. m.
It is useful to feed turnips with wood ash. It is sprinkled with the aboveground part of the plants and at the same time sprinkled with soil. Ash is not only an excellent remedy for a number of pests, but also a good feeding.
Turnip needs microelements, therefore it is recommended to make mineral dressings, which contain these substances (give preference to complex fertilizers for root crops). Boron is especially important for vegetables. Its deficiency has an extremely negative effect on the taste of root crops.
Boron is added to foliar feeding - the plants are sprayed on the leaf as soon as the roots are formed. To enhance the effect, spraying can be repeated. But no more than 3-4 times during the growing season.
But keep in mind that an excess of fertilizer will make the turnip bitter! Strictly follow the rates recommended by the fertilizer manufacturer. Root crops are able to accumulate all the substances in the soil. So from useful substances, fertilizers pass into the detachment of harmful ones, and not only for the plant itself, but also for humans.
Cleaning
As soon as the roots reach half maturity, they need to be pulled out of the ground as soon as possible. If you overexpose turnips in the garden, they will be tasteless and hollow. Usually it takes about 70 days from the moment of germination to harvest.
The greatest juiciness and nutritional value are distinguished by root crops, reaching a cross-section of 6-8 cm. How to properly store a turnip so that it does not deteriorate - read here.
How to cook turnips so they don't taste bitter?
In many dishes, for example, in turnip porridges, bitterness is completely useless. To remove it, you must use one of the methods discussed below.
Pour boiling water over
If root crops have a slight bitterness, you can remove it in a simpler and faster way:
- Put the turnips (washed, peeled and cut into pieces) in a large bowl.
- Pour boiling water over the sliced root vegetables.
- Remove the steamed pieces after 5-7 minutes.
You can keep the turnip longer, then the bitterness will go away for sure. Some housewives chop turnips into small pieces and keep them in boiling water for 10 minutes.
The bitterness from turnips must be removed before the preparation of dishes - soups, cereals, various side dishes and main courses. If you do not save the bitterness from the root vegetables in advance, you cannot remove it from the finished dish.
Boil
You can often hear this advice: to remove the bitterness from turnips, you need to boil it. The duration and other conditions of heat treatment depend on how the boiled root crop will be used in the future.
Here's what they recommend:
- Remove the petiole and wash the root vegetables.
- To peel.
- Boil water in a saucepan.
- Immerse the turnips in boiling water. Pre-cut large root vegetables into pieces.
- Cook the turnips for 25 minutes. If you cut it into pieces, the cooking time is reduced to 15 minutes.
- To check if the root vegetables are cooked, you need to pierce them with a knife. If he enters easily and effortlessly, then the turnip is ready. Boiled turnips go well with fried mushrooms, onions and carrots.
Despite the popularity of this folk method, many housewives say that if the root vegetable was slightly bitter raw (that is, it tasted like a soft radish), then it is better not to cook the turnips at all, but use it raw, rubbed into a vegetable salad.
Marinate
To preserve vitamins in turnips, a method is used in which it is possible to get rid of bitterness without using boiling water.
How to remove bitterness by pickling:
- Cut the washed and peeled turnips into pieces (slices or slices) and place in a bowl.
- Sprinkle the turnips with salt and sugar, add vinegar (both balsamic and table vinegar are suitable). Stir everything and leave for 40-60 minutes - turnips should be marinated.
- Drain all the liquid from the chopped turnip and fill it with unrefined vegetable oil.
Marinating allows you to preserve a maximum of vitamins in turnips, but compared to boiling and pouring boiling water, the effect of removing bitterness will be less. A little bit of bitterness will still remain in the pickled turnip.
In a multicooker
A slow cooker (double boiler) can be used to remove bitterness from turnips:
- Fill a bowl with 50% water and bring to a boil.
- Peel the turnip and cut it into 5-6 pieces.
- Submerge the turnips in boiling water.
- Turn on the "Cooking" / "Steaming" mode for 20 minutes.
Bitterness is not a reason to give up tasty and healthy root vegetables. If you don't like bitter turnips, plant only sweet varieties and care for the crop properly. And in order to completely eliminate bitterness, treat it in one of the above ways.
Author of the publication
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Russia. City Novosibirsk
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