The turnips are a root vegetable commonly grown in the temperate climate. During the summer months, the cultivation of turnips is high, and the harvesting is unbelievably amazing. All the local markets start to sell turnips, and you cannot stop yourself from buying a bulk of them.
The turnips are rich in vitamin B6, potassium, and minerals. They are very low in saturated fat and cholesterol. The turnip greens are super healthy and packed with nutrients. So, consuming them would help you to maintain a healthy life.
If you have grown turnips in the backyard or bought more than you need for a day, do not worry. Luckily, you can freeze your turnips to preserve. That sounds amazing right!
In this article, I explain everything you need to know about freezing turnips. Let us begin.
Can You Freeze Turnips?
Luckily, you can freeze turnips, and they will last for up to 6 months. If you were worried thinking about how to preserve your turnips, you know the best option now. Generally, freezing roasted turnips and mashed turnips are quite simple. However, you will have to follow a few additional steps to freeze raw turnips.
How to Freeze Turnips
Undoubtedly, you can freeze turnips in any condition. No matter the turnips are fresh, roasted, or mashed, you can preserve them by freezing. First, let us see how to freeze raw turnips. Here is how you do it.
Freezing Fresh Turnips
First, boil a pot of water. While the water boils, peel the turnips and cut them into equal, small size cubes. Put the cubes into water and leave them for like 90 seconds to blanch. Drain the cubes and put them straight into the cool icy water. Then drain the turnip pieces again.
After all these steps, prepare a baking tray with parchment paper on it. Place the cubes on the tray keeping a gap between them. Place the tray in the freezer for a few hours.
After this flash freeze step, take the tray out. Quickly, rearrange the cubes into separate freezer bags. Make sure your freezer bags are air-tight and do not contain air bubbles inside. Seal the bag and label the date it was packed.
Freezing Roasted Turnips
Make sure your roasted turnips are completely cool before freezing. While they are cooling, use your usual methods to remove excess oil from the cubes. Arrange them in a tray and put them in the freezer. Leave it there until the cubes are frozen. After that, put them into separate freezer bags, and seal them. Do not forget to remove the air bubbles and label the date it was first frozen.
Freezing Mashed Turnips
The good news is you do not need to spend time blanching mashed turnips. Easily, scoop them into freezer bags and seal them up. It is a good idea to add only a smaller portion of mashed turnips into each bag. It helps you to thaw only the portion you need at once. After putting them into separate freezer bags, label the date it was packed and keep it in the freezer.
How to Defrost Turnips?
It is not necessary to thaw roasted and blanched turnip cubes. You can put them directly from the freezer to the pan. I know, it obviously makes your life easy.
However, you need to follow defrosting steps for mashed turnips. Get the turnip freezer bag out of the freezer and keep it overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning, you will find out that your turnips are ready to move to the kitchen counter.
How Long Can You Freeze Turnips?
As you may already know, you can keep the frozen turnips for six months at the best quality. Beyond that time, you will see some changes in the texture and the taste. It is okay to consume even after six months, yet the taste is not favorable and healthy. Therefore, it is always best to consume before 6 months from the date it was packed.
Can You Refreeze Turnips?
You may already know that refreezing destroys the texture and the taste of the food. If you continue refreezing and thawing, you are likely to kill the quality of turnips by doing so.
Therefore, it is always good to avoid refreezing turnips. If you freeze turnips in smaller quantities using several containers, it would help to minimize wastage. Then you can decide to defrost the necessary quantity of turnips at a time.
What to Do with Turnip Greens?
The turnip greens are high in nutrients and low in calories. It is edible in several ways. You can either make a curry, soup or even a salad from them. Never throw them away. You must definitely try turnip greens.
If you wonder how to preserve them, as same as turnips, you can freeze the greens. I would recommend you to blanch them for like 30 seconds and then put them in the freezer bags. As always, make sure your freezer bags are air-tight and do not contain any air bubbles inside.
Final Thoughts
Turnips have an excellent nutritional profile. Consuming an adequate number of turnips would add essential vitamins and minerals to your body’s functioning. Especially, they are kidney-friendly. If you need to replace potatoes with something else, turnips are the best choice. As they have a low amount of carbohydrates, you would not be subjected to any negative health conditions.
Luckily, you can freeze turnips and consume them later whenever you need them. I know it is a great help for your busy life schedule. However, make sure you consume frozen turnips before 06 months.
I hope this article answered all your questions about freezing turnips. If you would like to know anything else about turnips, let us know in the comments.