Prairie Turnip

I'd never heard of the prairie turnip before I saw your
post, but I found the question intriguing. I love learning
about some new, previously unheard of (to me) food so I did
a google search and found this:
prairiefrontier.comordera.htmlOpen ↗.
Naturally, I know nothing about the company good or bad.

--Lia

startum said:

In David E. Stannard's book American Holocaust, he says
some native Americans used to grow the prairie turnip
which has three times as much protein as a potato, and
almost as much Vitamin C as most citrus fruits. My
friend's native American grandmother used to grow and
prepare prairie turnips; my friend recollects the taste
as between a rutabaga turnip and a regular turnip. I was
wondering if one can buy seeds? I don't ever recall
seeing a turnip by this name in a grocery store.

startum said:

In David E. Stannard's book American Holocaust, he says
some native Americans used to grow the prairie turnip
which has three times as much protein as a potato, and
almost as much Vitamin C as most citrus fruits. My
friend's native American grandmother used to grow and
prepare prairie turnips; my friend recollects the taste
as between a rutabaga turnip and a regular turnip. I was
wondering if one can buy seeds? I don't ever recall
seeing a turnip by this name in a grocery store.

tinyurl.com2zg63Open ↗ Variety of pictures of flower,
plant parts, growth area.

maxine in ri

"startum" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

In David E. Stannard's book American Holocaust, he says
some native Americans used to grow the prairie turnip
which has three times as much protein as a potato, and
almost as much Vitamin C as most citrus fruits. My
friend's native American grandmother used to grow and
prepare prairie turnips; my friend recollects the taste as
between a rutabaga turnip and a regular turnip. I was
wondering if one can buy seeds? I don't ever recall seeing
a turnip by this name in a grocery store.

Maybe you could check one of those heritage seed/plant
places...?

If you "google" heritage seeds or plants, you'll find lots
of listings, and sources in the column over on the right
side of the screen. I have no idea if any of these have
prairie turnips or not - actually, to me, prairie turnips
sounds like a euphenism for some animal by-product. ;-)

N.

Quoted message said:

I was wondering if one can buy seeds? I don't ever
recall seeing a turnip by this name in a grocery store.

Go to morningskygreenery.compsOpen ↗
oescu.html

Lindy Take out the dog to reply

"startum" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In David E. Stannard's book American Holocaust, he says
some native
Americans used to grow the prairie turnip which has three
times as much
protein as a potato, and almost as much Vitamin C as most
citrus fruits.
My friend's native American grandmother used to grow and
prepare

prairie

Quoted message said:

turnips; my friend recollects the taste as between a
rutabaga turnip and

a

Quoted message said:

regular turnip. I was wondering if one can buy seeds? I
don't ever recall seeing a

turnip

Quoted message said:

by this name in a grocery store.

I checked out the site someone posted about this but the
plant is listed under Native Wildflowers, so I doubt the
root would be very big. Sounds interesting.

startum said:

In David E. Stannard's book American Holocaust, he says
some native Americans used to grow the prairie turnip
which has three times as much protein as a potato, and
almost as much Vitamin C as most citrus fruits. My
friend's native American grandmother used to grow and
prepare prairie turnips; my friend recollects the taste as
between a rutabaga turnip and a regular turnip. I was
wondering if one can buy seeds? I don't ever recall seeing
a turnip by this name in a grocery store.

If this is the root vegitable described by Meriwether Lewis
during the Lewis and Clark expedition, then it goes by
several other popular names. Turnips and rutabagas are
native to Eurasia so one native to North America will have
some other name as its primary listing.

Nancy Dooley wrote:

I have no idea if any of these have prairie turnips or
not -

Quoted message said:

actually, to me, prairie turnips sounds like a euphenism
for some animal by-product. ;-)

Yep. That's what I thought too. I'm glad I did the cursory
look into it that I did. I always wonder why one vegetable
will make the hit parade while another, equally tasty, easy
to grow and nutritious, will fade into oblivion. I bought
regular purple top turnips at the supermarket yesterday, put
them in stew along with sweet potatoes, carrots and onions
and didn't think much of it. Why those particular 4
vegetables and not prairie turnips, celery root, and others
so exotic I've never even heard of them? Apparently prairie
turnips were popular at one time but no more. Go figure.

--Lia

You might want to ask on rec.gardens.edible. Someone there
may be growing it themselves and can tell you where to find
seeds and how best to grow it.

"startum" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:JxWnc.94797$vn.261472@sea-
read.news.verio.net...

Quoted message said:

In David E. Stannard's book American Holocaust, he says
some native
Americans used to grow the prairie turnip which has three
times as much
protein as a potato, and almost as much Vitamin C as most
citrus fruits.
My friend's native American grandmother used to grow and
prepare

prairie

Quoted message said:

turnips; my friend recollects the taste as between a
rutabaga turnip and

a

Quoted message said:

regular turnip. I was wondering if one can buy seeds? I
don't ever recall seeing a

turnip

Quoted message said:

by this name in a grocery store.

Julia Altshuler wrote: Apparently prairie turnips were
popular

Quoted message said:

at one time but no more. Go figure.

--Lia

In my meanderings around various obsolete veggies, I find
that the loss of interest can be the substitution of an
equivalent that produces less flatulence. blacksalt

Julia Altshuler said:

Nancy Dooley wrote:

I have no idea if any of these have prairie turnips or
not -

Quoted message said:

actually, to me, prairie turnips sounds like a euphenism
for some animal by-product. ;-)

Yep. That's what I thought too. I'm glad I did the cursory
look into it that I did. I always wonder why one vegetable
will make the hit parade while another, equally tasty,
easy to grow and nutritious, will fade into oblivion. I
bought regular purple top turnips at the supermarket
yesterday, put them in stew along with sweet potatoes,
carrots and onions and didn't think much of it. Why those
particular 4 vegetables and not prairie turnips, celery
root, and others so exotic I've never even heard of them?
Apparently prairie turnips were popular at one time but no
more. Go figure.

--Lia

Some of the information I found on them seemed to indicate
that they are rare or endangered.

minri

kalanamak said:

In my meanderings around various obsolete veggies, I find
that the loss of interest can be the substitution of an
equivalent that produces less flatulence.

Figures. Thanks for the info.

--Lia

"Julia Altshuler" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:ymhoc.30559$536.5733212@attbi_s03...

Quoted message said:

kalanamak said:

In my meanderings around various obsolete veggies, I
find that the loss of interest can be the substitution
of an equivalent that produces less flatulence.

Figures. Thanks for the info.

--Lia

The Spanish and Eglish genociders of native cultures
in both South and North America, starting with the
villain Columbus, would burn crops wholesale in order
to starve the natives, who had lived there in piece
for tens of thousands of years. South America was a
verdant and fruitful paradise,and in North America
some observers said that whole fields resembled a
cultivated garden. Crop yields were far above those
produced in Europe. So I wouldn't be at all surprised
in many valuable fruits and vegetables were
exterminated by the travelling scum of the earth in
search of gold, property, slaves, and converts.

Take a look at _The Ecological Indian: Myth and History_ by
Shepard Krech for one good book on debunking the Noble
Savage myth. There are plenty more, but that's a good start.
Starting with the age of exploration, there was this idea
that all non-Western peoples were somehow lower on the
evolutionary scale than Western Christian cultures,
"primitive" as it were. Some time in the mid 1900s, the
pendulum swung, and we got this idea that everything Western
was warmaking and cruel to the earth while everything non-
Western was perfect before Western contact and corrupted
after. There were all these images in the popular culture of
the Native North and South Americans living peacefully on
the earth and with each other as though Columbus had found
the Garden of Eden. In reality, people all over are pretty
much the same in their capacities both to cooperate and to
fight. Technology can make a difference in how those are
carried out, but it is demeaning to suggest that one culture
is somehow naturally superior to another. That denies our
common humanity.

--Lia

startum said:

The Spanish and English genociders of native cultures
in both South and North America, starting with the
villain Columbus, would burn crops wholesale in order
to starve the natives who had lived there in peace for
tens of thousands of years.

Julia Altshuler said:

Take a look at _The Ecological Indian: Myth and History_ by
Shepard Krech for one good book on debunking the Noble
Savage myth. There are plenty more, but that's a good
start. Starting with the age of exploration, there was this
idea that all non-Western peoples were somehow lower on the
evolutionary scale than Western Christian cultures,
"primitive" as it were.

aboriginal folks seldom to well because their weapons are
not as deadly.

your pal, blake