Friday, February 10, 2012

turnip coffee-Blech!

Folks that have followed my ramblings for any length of time know that one of my hobbies is finding a suitable alternative to coffee. This time around, the adventure was using turnips. For hundreds of years turnips were animal fodder rather than people food but during the early 1900s in Germany, they became a staple food item. They were used as a coffee substitute, flour substitute and became a primary ingredient of many dishes including war bread.
Since we have had virtually no winter this year, turnips have grown very well and out of curiosity, boredom, and the need to know I decided to make me some turnip coffee. After slicing and dicing, drying and roasting, and grinding it all up I finally got to make me a fine cuppa turnip java.

BLECH!!!!

Maybe it is an acquired taste, that comes from necessity? Hopefully it is a necessity I will never have to acquire a taste for. Of all my experiments, it is the worst tasting and smelling. After all the hard work, it still smells and has the flavor of a turnip. Perhaps not being a huge fan of turnips to begin with plays a part but liquid turnips is simply not appealing. Maybe it will be better used as a flour replacement though I doubt it.

ETA... I should have added that turnips have many other uses beside fodder for man and beast. They have medicinal as well as other uses around a homestead. Rather than write it all up here is a link ....


3 comments:

  1. Wow, I didn't know that turnips were used for so many things. Personally, I've never even tried one. Maybe I should try planting some this year.

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  2. they actually have some really good medicinal uses too which i didnt mention in this at all.. i do not care much for turnips or the greens from them but the critters enjoy them... my fav way of making them is slicing like chips shake in flour and fry or bake like a chip

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  3. OH! This is hilarious, I'm laughing so hard that I can barely type! The only coffee sub that I have tried is roasted dandelion root. Even that was pretty iffy. I didn't know about the turnips. I don't like 'em, either! LOL

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