by Trevor Bacque
One of the heartiest of all vegetables, turnips are grown primarily in Ontario, Quebec and Prince Edward Island. One family that loves to produce fresh turnips is the McKennas, owners of Bunny Burrow Vegetable Company at Kinkora, Prince Edward Island. Husband and wife duo Gordon and Andrea McKenna, along with their three children, grow acre upon acre of the root vegetable, which is sometimes confused for a rutabaga. Turnips are a member of the brassica family along with broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. Known for its versatility in recipes, turnips often prove to be a challenging, hands-on crop to produce.
Did you know? Turnips and rutabagas are both members of the brassica family. Rutabagas are thought to be the product of a long-ago cross between turnips and cabbage. Turnips are generally smaller and spicier than rutabagas. When cooked, turnips are a creamy white while cooked rutabagas are yellow.
Each spring, turnip seeds are mechanically planted into straight rows via GPS technology. Even though they are a root vegetable, they are a sensitive crop and farmers often contend with germination issues, making timely moisture a key concern. The last two years have certainly been a challenge weather-wise for the McKenna family.
Two years ago, they dealt with the worst drought in the province’s history. This was a mighty challenge since turnips prefer cool weather. That was followed by the most recent growing season, a year which produced more rainfall than they’d seen in more than 30 years.
“Our new normal as far as weather goes is not normal,” says McKenna. “We have to be prepared to handle any curveball that Mother Nature is going to throw at us.”
Because of its delicate nature, farmers routinely crop scout their turnips, simply meaning they walk through their fields every few days or once a week to ensure no weeds, diseases or pests are present. If neglected, fields can quickly be destroyed, sometimes in a matter of days. Many different diseases and pests are known to attack turnips, which means the McKennas may require pesticide application. They only use registered pesticides and try to do as few applications as possible to reduce the potential for resistance issues from pests and disease, but also to save money. Crop protection products are expensive and farmers use them only when necessary.
A primary concern is the fungus clubroot, which latches onto the root system of a turnip and produces tumour-like growths, causing the plant to rot and die. With many strains of clubroot, it is a challenge for scientists and plant breeders to provide farmers like the McKennas with strong, resistant turnip varieties. This makes them a hands-on crop for much of the growing season. Once established, however, they usually grow well throughout the season.
After a couple months, McKenna and his crew will go into fields and thin the turnips, a process where they remove approximately half the seeded turnips. This allows the more mature plants receive more moisture and nutrients for optimal growth and avoid being overcrowded. Smaller, immature turnips are discarded and primarily used as animal feed.
By harvest time, which begins as early as July and can go as late as October, the farm crew hand harvests the turnips, which are destined for fresh markets, not processing markets, and generally sold at local farmers’ markets. They are pulled from the ground when they are approximately two inches in diameter. Because they sell locally, harvest requires a non-mechanical process to reduce damage in the form of bruising. Once in storage, turnips only keep for about four to five months post-harvest, meaning the sooner they are enjoyed, the better.
“We take pride in picking the very best we can and do the very best job we can sorting them in the field,” says McKenna. “So, therefore, our consumer can enjoy the fruits of our labour by getting the best of the best of our crop.”
