Thanksgiving is the time when you break out all those family recipes. They’re not the fancy ones, but the familiar ones. Often, you have no idea how anyone even chose that particular recipe in the first place. Both of my parents have been gone for 3 years now, so I don’t get to do a big family Thanksgiving anymore. I still have a grandmother, aunts and cousins on Cape Cod, but it’s a bit of a haul, especially with my work schedule.
Talking to my grandmother last night, I was reminded of her turnip fluff. Now, it’s not actually hers. It came out of the America Cooks Cookbook, which was put out by The General Federation’s of Women’s Clubs in 1967. If you can find a copy, buy one. Currently, the cheapest one is $14 on Amazon. Every recipe I remember my mom and grandmother making came out of here.
On Thursday, my grandmother will be making the Turnip Fluff from that cookbook. When I spoke to her, she told me that my cousin was driving to Eastham to get the Eastham turnips. Growing up, I didn’t realize that there were special turnips there, and when my grandmother says that something is “special”, I often take it with a grain of salt. But I thought it warranted a Google search. What I found was a great article in Edible Cape Cod on the history of this heirloom turnip, sweet & white, that has been passed through one family of farmers for over 100 years. (the turnip pictured above is, sadly, not an Eastham turnip)
It’s worth reading if you’re interested in heirloom vegetables. It’s nice to see people in the north doing the kind of thing that you hear more about in the south. Here’s that recipe. It would be nice to have the Eastham Turnips, but it’s still really good with whatever you can find.
Turnip Fluff
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2 lbs turnips, peeled and cubed
1/4 c. light cream 1 egg beaten 1/4 c. light brown sugar 2 T uncooked cream of wheat 2 T melted butter salt and pepper to taste
Cook turnips in 1 inch of boiling salt water; drain and mash. Add remaining ingredients and blend well. Put in a lightly greased casserole. Bake in a preheated oven at 350º for 40 minutes.
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