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I need a stinky turnip again!!!!?

On Thanksgiving of 2002 my wife cooked a turnip (rutabaga) to go with our dinner. While she was cooking it I noticed that it did not have the pungent odor that I was used to. When we sat down to eat the Turnip was flavorless. Every year since I have noticed that the turnip was not as strong. Has anyone else noticed this? I am going to have my own garden this year- finally. I am wondering if I should use heirloom seeds. I have only eaten rutabaga that I can remember. Will a real turnip have the pungent smell and strong flavor that I remember?. Thanks

Public Comments

1. The non stinky turnips that you've had the last few years are probably "hot house" turnips... Meaning...They were grown in water and some fertilizer instead of actual earth... Please start your own garden like you've planned...the veggies that we get at the supermarket are often not grown from the earth and even though they look like the real thing, they don't have near the nutritional value of what we grow ourselves... You're very smart in starting you own garden.. :-)
2. The change may be your sense of smell or taste. Heirlooms are great and most folks throw the best part of the turnip (the tops) away. Try Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, they have a wide variety of really old cultivars.
3. Oh ya..you may have changed...but Turnips didn't!
4. if you are getting them from the grocery store or a chain store it could be the region that it was grown in or it could be green house grown - they do that to product fast results to get them the market - see if there are any farmer market around and ask them where they are from - but I'll still go with my own garden
5. Hot house ruins veggies, it has taken away the flavor. Like tomato's I will not buy a hot house tomato, just pick them up and smell them, look how pale they are. And, shipping green fruit, we could use the crap they sell in the stores for ammo. If and when the next time you do shop for fruit or veggies, ask to sample a piece. Yes, they will if you ask, I use to work in Produce, if they say no they are just being lazy or know there items don't have any flavor. Pay $5.00 for a melon, go to eat it and its hard an tasteless, you can return any produce items that are bad too, a lot of people do not know this.