Maple-Roasted Hakurei Turnips and Sweet Potatoes

Before our first CSA pickup of the year, I’d never heard of a hakurei turnip. In fact, I’m not sure if I’d ever even eaten a turnip of any kind (or if I’d ever had a desire to eat a turnip). I certainly had no idea how to cook them, but of course, the fabulous Laughing Stock Farm Cookbook had a suggestion. Roast them with oil, rosemary and salt, it said. I did it and I didn’t really like them. At first, they were yummy, kind of like potatoes roasted with rosemary, but then there was another taste that overpowered the savory taste of the rosemary. It wasn’t until a friend mentioned that she’d roasted them with sweet potatoes that I realized that it was the sweet aftertaste that had bothered me. And what do we do with sweet things? We cover them in maple syrup, of course.

Seriously, these are delicious, which is a good thing because it seems like these turnips will be in season all summer.

Hakurei turnips (just the white parts), diced

Sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 425º.

2. Combine hakurei turnips all ingredients in a large bowl and toss to make sure the vegetables are coated.

3. Pour the contents of the bowl onto a rimmed baking sheet.

4. Roast for 20-30 minutes (until the turnips and potatoes are pokeable and slightly brown).

Pepper Photo Shoot

Lime Ice Cream

We made this last night. Temperatures had finally fallen into the 80s, but the idea of eating was still rather unappealing…until I had a spoonful of this deliciousness. It’s creamy and refreshing and soooo yummy!

(Adapted from Food52)

¾ cup natural sugar

1 ½ cup heavy cream

2 tbsp grated lime zest

1/3 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice

1. Combine all ingredients and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

2. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker (and make ice cream) or pour it into a shallow dish and freeze, stirring every once in a while.

Quinoa, Mango and Black Bean Salad

It’s been HOT in Maine for the past few days. When it’s this hot, the idea of turning on the oven is fairly repulsive. The idea of eating anything other than popsicles is also pretty gross, but eventually we get hungry enough to eat something cold and refreshing like this yummy salad.

(This recipe is adapted from Eating Well.)

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

½ cup orange juice

4 tbsp rice vinegar

4 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp minced fresh ginger

1 mango, peeled and diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 can of black beans, rinsed

1. Pour the quinoa into a small dry saucepan and toast over medium heat, stirring often, for 4-6 minutes (until it starts smelling nutty).

2. Add water to the saucepan. Cover and bring to a simmer. Turn heat to low and cook until all the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, 15-20 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, whisk orange juice, rice vinegar, sesame oil and minced ginger together. Add mango, bell peppers and beans.

4. When the quinoa is done, stir it into the mango, bell pepper and bean mixture.

5. Serve as is or chill and serve.