TWTurnip
Pliny the Elder once said that he considered turnips one of the most important vegetables in the world, ranking it "directly after cereals or at all events after the bean, since its utility surpasses that of any other plant." Of course, he said it in Latin, because he was Roman. And old.
He also thought that it was a great cure for famine, as are all foods, I suppose. In ancient Persia, turnips were long believed to be a cure for the common cold, and elsewhere, particularly in the British Isles, they were carved into lanterns before the popularity of pumpkins. This is in addition to their use as a foodstuff in many areas of the world.
Cultivation of turnips is believed to have started as early as 1500 BC, possibly before, as evidence shows that farmers in India were growing wild forms of the vegetable for the oil in its seeds. Other evidence point to it being grown in neolithic times, probably in the regions of West Asia and Europe, where wild relatives still grow today. However, there are no concrete facts pointing to the exact time period in which they were first domesticated.
Turnips have proved popular throughout history, and still are popular today, for various reasons. The Household Cyclopedia (1881) informs us why, via Wikipedia:
The robust nature of turnips, both in and out of the ground, have made them favourable in harsher climates, where they can be planted even in extremely poor soil and stored for many months after harvest, providing nourishment for people and animals. Humans tend to eat the smaller, more tender varieties while the larger varieties are grown specifically for livestock.
As of 2005, China was the largest producer of turnips in the world, before Russia and the USA. China was responsible for one third of the total global turnip output for that year.
Well, I did say I wasn't joking about the turnip thing. It's actually a fascinating subject but, alack and alas, I have run out of material to plagiarise from the Wikipedia article. So I'll just point you towards some of the Optimus Prime tribute videos (the first two are music ones and the latter two are more humourous) that I stayed up watching till about 1am yesterday. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Also Bumblebee. Made out of paper.
And, just because I can, this picture of a big ol' spider that we spotted scampering around its web outside the kitchen window. I couldn't get any pictures of it rapidly devouring a fly later in the evening because the camera was charging but I doubt that still images could have done it justice anyway. Nature is at its most beautiful while eating the rest of nature, as a (bad) poet might put it.
More shots here, because I'm addicted to using Picasa.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's episode on the Great Turnip Uprising of 1852.
Hey, I got to the end of a post on turnips without mentioning Baldrick. I wonder how that happened.
He also thought that it was a great cure for famine, as are all foods, I suppose. In ancient Persia, turnips were long believed to be a cure for the common cold, and elsewhere, particularly in the British Isles, they were carved into lanterns before the popularity of pumpkins. This is in addition to their use as a foodstuff in many areas of the world.
Cultivation of turnips is believed to have started as early as 1500 BC, possibly before, as evidence shows that farmers in India were growing wild forms of the vegetable for the oil in its seeds. Other evidence point to it being grown in neolithic times, probably in the regions of West Asia and Europe, where wild relatives still grow today. However, there are no concrete facts pointing to the exact time period in which they were first domesticated.
Turnips have proved popular throughout history, and still are popular today, for various reasons. The Household Cyclopedia (1881) informs us why, via Wikipedia:
"The benefits derived from turnip husbandry are of great magnitude; light soils are cultivated with profit and facility; abundance of food is provided for man and beast; the earth is turned to the uses for which it is physically calculated, and by being suitably cleaned with this preparatory crop, a bed is provided for grass seeds, wherein they flourish and prosper with greater vigor than after any other preparation."
The robust nature of turnips, both in and out of the ground, have made them favourable in harsher climates, where they can be planted even in extremely poor soil and stored for many months after harvest, providing nourishment for people and animals. Humans tend to eat the smaller, more tender varieties while the larger varieties are grown specifically for livestock.
As of 2005, China was the largest producer of turnips in the world, before Russia and the USA. China was responsible for one third of the total global turnip output for that year.
Well, I did say I wasn't joking about the turnip thing. It's actually a fascinating subject but, alack and alas, I have run out of material to plagiarise from the Wikipedia article. So I'll just point you towards some of the Optimus Prime tribute videos (the first two are music ones and the latter two are more humourous) that I stayed up watching till about 1am yesterday. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Also Bumblebee. Made out of paper.
And, just because I can, this picture of a big ol' spider that we spotted scampering around its web outside the kitchen window. I couldn't get any pictures of it rapidly devouring a fly later in the evening because the camera was charging but I doubt that still images could have done it justice anyway. Nature is at its most beautiful while eating the rest of nature, as a (bad) poet might put it.
More shots here, because I'm addicted to using Picasa.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's episode on the Great Turnip Uprising of 1852.
Hey, I got to the end of a post on turnips without mentioning Baldrick. I wonder how that happened.
posted by Alasdair Corbett at
11:15 PM
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