Gilfeather Turnip Festival

The Gilfeather Turnip is the Vermont state vegetable, tough skinned with strong roots and sweeter after a hard challenge (in this case a hard frost) - an apt description of Vermonters!

John Gilfeather of Wardsboro, VT, developed the turnip in the early 1900s.  It is thought to be a cross between a turnip and a rutabaga, with a mild, sweet and creamy flavor and texture, and long storage life.  Farmer John sold his turnips in the local markets, after first cutting off the tops and roots so that no one else could reproduce them.  However, a neighbor was able to retain some seeds, and after John's death, the seeds were registered as an heirloom variety, trademarked with the Gilfeather name and are now sold at several local farm stands.

The Town of Wardsboro hosts an annual Gilfeather Turnip Festival, with proceeds supporting the local library.  Today's beautiful fall weather yielded any excellent festival turnout, where folks enjoyed delicious soup (recipe below), viewed the turnips entered in the contest (heaviest grown in Wardsboro, heaviest grown outside of Wardsboro, most interesting shape, best dressed turnip and judge's choice), purchased turnips and turnip seeds for use at home, and supported participating vendors and browsed the library's books for sale.                                                                                                    

    Turnips for sale                                                          Dressed for the festival!

Gilfeather turnips are easy to grow.  Seeds should be planted after last frost about 1/2" deep and 3" apart.  Thin to 6" apart to give them plenty of room to grow.  The greens can be eaten, but leave plenty on the plant so that the turnips have nourishment throughout the growing season.  Do not harvest the turnips until after the first hard frost so that they develop maximum sweetness.  Turnips can be stored in a cool, dry root cellar for 4-5 months.

The Wardsboro library has put together "The Gilfeather Turnip Cookbook" which it sells as part of its fundraising efforts.  It is packed with delicious sounding recipes, and is a great addition to your cookbook collection.

An excellent recipe for Gilfeather Turnip and Roasted Garlic Soup is a great way to use up some of that turnip purchased at the festival today!

Gilfeather Turnip and Roasted Garlic Soup

Dice onion, leek, carrot and celery and saute in olive oil and butter.  When onions are golden and soft, add in a splash of white wine to deglaze the pot.  Dice up some Gilfeather turnip and a potato and add to sauteed vegetables along with salt, pepper and bay leaf.  Add enough broth to cover, then simmer until turnip and potato are cooked through.  Add 4-6 cloves of roasted garlic and puree the soup.  Return to pot and add cream, heat through and serve with chopped parsley and scallions.