My grade for naming red root vegetables at the Wednesday Boulder County Farmers’ Market = F. Well, maybe more like a C minus. Once I learned that Scarlet Queen Turnips are not radishes, I was able to identify the actual radishes on the table next to the turnips.

It’s the greens that should have been the dead giveaway.  Turnip greens are more than twice the height and width of the radish.  But, at the time, my brain could not entertain the possibility of the existence of a brilliant red turnip.

Here is a picture of the red radish/ red turnip face off at the Ollin Farms booth:

Turnip greens close-up (yes, you can eat the greens):

The Scarlet Queen is a “salad” turnip, meaning it shines when eaten raw, in a salad.  I have eaten salad turnips varieties that are white.  But this one surprised me, especially when I tried a sample slice and saw the red speckled pattern on the inside.  These turnips are moist and refreshing, not as crisp as a radish, but with a spicy kick you don’t get from the sweeter white salad turnip varieties.  It’s a perfect colorful addition for a salad made from the abundance of spring greens currently dominating the market.

(See, they look like radishes, don’t they??????)

I did find a blog where the author roasted Scarlet Queen Turnips with soy and sesame.  My brain also could not entertain the existence of a blog post with the words “food porn” and “turnip” in the same sentence, though Roasted Soy and Sesame Scarlet Queen Turnips does sound pretty tasty.  Unfortunately, I ate all my turnips in less than 24 hours.  So I’ll have to wait until next week to try the recipe out.

The Scarlet Queen Turnip.  One more reason to give turnips a chance.  See if you can find them at a market near you!