In David E. Stannard's book American Holocaust, he says some native
Americans used to grow the prairie turnip which has three times as much
protein as a potato, and almost as much Vitamin C as most citrus fruits.
My friend's native American grandmother used to grow and prepare prairie
turnips; my friend recollects the taste as between a rutabaga turnip and a
regular turnip.
I was wondering if one can buy seeds? I don't ever recall seeing a turnip
by this name in a grocery store.

I'd never heard of the prairie turnip before I saw your post, but I
found the question intriguing. I love learning about some new,
previously unheard of (to me) food so I did a google search and found
this: http://www.prairiefrontier.com/autocart/ordera.html. Naturally, I
know nothing about the company good or bad.


--Lia


startum wrote:
> In David E. Stannard's book American Holocaust, he says some native
> Americans used to grow the prairie turnip which has three times as much
> protein as a potato, and almost as much Vitamin C as most citrus fruits.
> My friend's native American grandmother used to grow and prepare prairie
> turnips; my friend recollects the taste as between a rutabaga turnip and a
> regular turnip.
> I was wondering if one can buy seeds? I don't ever recall seeing a turnip
> by this name in a grocery store.
>
>

startum wrote:
>
> In David E. Stannard's book American Holocaust, he says some native
> Americans used to grow the prairie turnip which has three times as much
> protein as a potato, and almost as much Vitamin C as most citrus fruits.
> My friend's native American grandmother used to grow and prepare prairie
> turnips; my friend recollects the taste as between a rutabaga turnip and a
> regular turnip.
> I was wondering if one can buy seeds? I don't ever recall seeing a turnip
> by this name in a grocery store.

http://tinyurl.com/2zg63
Variety of pictures of flower, plant parts, growth area.

maxine in ri

"startum" > wrote in message >...
> In David E. Stannard's book American Holocaust, he says some native
> Americans used to grow the prairie turnip which has three times as much
> protein as a potato, and almost as much Vitamin C as most citrus fruits.
> My friend's native American grandmother used to grow and prepare prairie
> turnips; my friend recollects the taste as between a rutabaga turnip and a
> regular turnip.
> I was wondering if one can buy seeds? I don't ever recall seeing a turnip
> by this name in a grocery store.

Maybe you could check one of those heritage seed/plant places...?

If you "google" heritage seeds or plants, you'll find lots of
listings, and sources in the column over on the right side of the
screen. I have no idea if any of these have prairie turnips or not -
actually, to me, prairie turnips sounds like a euphenism for some
animal by-product. ;-)

N.

> I was wondering if one can buy seeds? I don't ever recall seeing a turnip
>by this name in a grocery store.


Go to
http://www.morningskygreenery.com/Pl...s/psoescu.html

Lindy
Take out the dog to reply

"startum" > wrote in message
...
> In David E. Stannard's book American Holocaust, he says some native
> Americans used to grow the prairie turnip which has three times as much
> protein as a potato, and almost as much Vitamin C as most citrus fruits.
> My friend's native American grandmother used to grow and prepare
prairie
> turnips; my friend recollects the taste as between a rutabaga turnip and
a
> regular turnip.
> I was wondering if one can buy seeds? I don't ever recall seeing a
turnip
> by this name in a grocery store.

I checked out the site someone posted about this but the plant is listed
under Native Wildflowers, so I doubt the root would be very big. Sounds
interesting.

Nancy Dooley wrote:

I have no idea if any of these have prairie turnips or not -
> actually, to me, prairie turnips sounds like a euphenism for some
> animal by-product. ;-)


Yep. That's what I thought too. I'm glad I did the cursory look into
it that I did. I always wonder why one vegetable will make the hit
parade while another, equally tasty, easy to grow and nutritious, will
fade into oblivion. I bought regular purple top turnips at the
supermarket yesterday, put them in stew along with sweet potatoes,
carrots and onions and didn't think much of it. Why those particular 4
vegetables and not prairie turnips, celery root, and others so exotic
I've never even heard of them? Apparently prairie turnips were popular
at one time but no more. Go figure.


--Lia

startum wrote:
>
> In David E. Stannard's book American Holocaust, he says some native
> Americans used to grow the prairie turnip which has three times as much
> protein as a potato, and almost as much Vitamin C as most citrus fruits.
> My friend's native American grandmother used to grow and prepare prairie
> turnips; my friend recollects the taste as between a rutabaga turnip and a
> regular turnip.
> I was wondering if one can buy seeds? I don't ever recall seeing a turnip
> by this name in a grocery store.

If this is the root vegitable described by Meriwether Lewis during the
Lewis and Clark expedition, then it goes by several other popular
names. Turnips and rutabagas are native to Eurasia so one native to
North America will have some other name as its primary listing.

You might want to ask on rec.gardens.edible. Someone there may be growing
it themselves and can tell you where to find seeds and how best to grow it.

"startum" > wrote in message
...
> In David E. Stannard's book American Holocaust, he says some native
> Americans used to grow the prairie turnip which has three times as much
> protein as a potato, and almost as much Vitamin C as most citrus fruits.
> My friend's native American grandmother used to grow and prepare
prairie
> turnips; my friend recollects the taste as between a rutabaga turnip and
a
> regular turnip.
> I was wondering if one can buy seeds? I don't ever recall seeing a
turnip
> by this name in a grocery store.
>
>

Julia Altshuler wrote:
Apparently prairie turnips were popular
> at one time but no more. Go figure.
>
> --Lia

In my meanderings around various obsolete veggies, I find that the loss
of interest can be the substitution of an equivalent that produces less
flatulence.
blacksalt

kalanamak wrote:

> In my meanderings around various obsolete veggies, I find that the loss
> of interest can be the substitution of an equivalent that produces less
> flatulence.


Figures. Thanks for the info.

--Lia

"Julia Altshuler" > wrote in message
news:ymhoc.30559$536.5733212@attbi_s03...
> kalanamak wrote:
>
> > In my meanderings around various obsolete veggies, I find that the loss
> > of interest can be the substitution of an equivalent that produces less
> > flatulence.
>
>
> Figures. Thanks for the info.
>
> --Lia

The Spanish and Eglish genociders of native cultures in both South and
North America, starting with the villain Columbus, would burn crops
wholesale in order to starve the natives, who had lived there in piece for
tens of thousands of years. South America was a verdant and fruitful
paradise,and in North America some observers said that whole fields
resembled a cultivated garden. Crop yields were far above those produced in
Europe. So I wouldn't be at all surprised in many valuable fruits and
vegetables were exterminated by the travelling scum of the earth in search
of gold, property, slaves, and converts.

Julia Altshuler wrote:
>
> Nancy Dooley wrote:
>
> I have no idea if any of these have prairie turnips or not -
> > actually, to me, prairie turnips sounds like a euphenism for some
> > animal by-product. ;-)
>
> Yep. That's what I thought too. I'm glad I did the cursory look into
> it that I did. I always wonder why one vegetable will make the hit
> parade while another, equally tasty, easy to grow and nutritious, will
> fade into oblivion. I bought regular purple top turnips at the
> supermarket yesterday, put them in stew along with sweet potatoes,
> carrots and onions and didn't think much of it. Why those particular 4
> vegetables and not prairie turnips, celery root, and others so exotic
> I've never even heard of them? Apparently prairie turnips were popular
> at one time but no more. Go figure.
>
> --Lia

Some of the information I found on them seemed to indicate that they
are rare or endangered.

minri

Take a look at _The Ecological Indian: Myth and History_ by Shepard
Krech for one good book on debunking the Noble Savage myth. There are
plenty more, but that's a good start. Starting with the age of
exploration, there was this idea that all non-Western peoples were
somehow lower on the evolutionary scale than Western Christian cultures,
"primitive" as it were. Some time in the mid 1900s, the pendulum swung,
and we got this idea that everything Western was warmaking and cruel to
the earth while everything non-Western was perfect before Western
contact and corrupted after. There were all these images in the popular
culture of the Native North and South Americans living peacefully on the
earth and with each other as though Columbus had found the Garden of
Eden. In reality, people all over are pretty much the same in their
capacities both to cooperate and to fight. Technology can make a
difference in how those are carried out, but it is demeaning to suggest
that one culture is somehow naturally superior to another. That denies
our common humanity.


--Lia


startum wrote:
> The Spanish and English genociders of native cultures in both South and
> North America, starting with the villain Columbus, would burn crops
> wholesale in order to starve the natives who had lived there in peace for
> tens of thousands of years.

On Wed, 12 May 2004 21:54:14 GMT, Julia Altshuler
> wrote:

>Take a look at _The Ecological Indian: Myth and History_ by Shepard
>Krech for one good book on debunking the Noble Savage myth. There are
>plenty more, but that's a good start. Starting with the age of
>exploration, there was this idea that all non-Western peoples were
>somehow lower on the evolutionary scale than Western Christian cultures,
>"primitive" as it were.

aboriginal folks seldom to well because their weapons are not as
deadly.

your pal,
blake