While the humble turnip can be overlooked at the grocery store, the root vegetable shines at the farmer's market this time of year. Chef Caroline Leff of Stir Crazy gravitates toward the Japanese variety, known as Harkurei. They're grown at Flora Bella Farms.
Leff opts for smaller varieties about the size of a golf ball as they're less aqueous than their larger counterparts. Structural integrity is important, so Leff cooks them to a medium rare — they still have a crunch along with a buttery texture. At Stir Crazy, she makes ricotta gnudi, roasts the turnips, and covers everything in a butter emulsion. It plays a bit of a trick on the eye, making it difficult to distinguish between the pasta and veg. Leff is experimenting with using the turnip greens in a pesto.
Flora Bella Farms, where Leff gets her turnips, is located in Three Rivers, about 1,000 feet above the Sierra Nevadas, just outside of Sequoia Park. Farmer Dawn Birch farms on 10 acres of former horse pasture for a century so the land has never seen chemicals. Their water source is snow melting off the mountains, which is full of organic material.
"That, combined with our soil, gives us produce that tastes like I imagine our grandparents ate, full of taste, full of vitamins. It's pretty amazing," Birch says.
Niseko turnips have a sweeter taste than the scarlett variety, which can be bitter. The farm is known for harvesting the wild plants that grow on the sides of the field. Look for stinging nettles, Miner's lettuce, purslane, lemon geranium, and flowering rosemary. Miner's lettuce, high in Vitamin C, was named for the 49ers who ate it to stave off scurvy.
Flora Bella Farms is for sale. Dawn and her husband, James, are looking to retire. The land has senior water rights, making it a turnkey property for any farmer who takes over the property.