Before moving to Arlington, I lived for many years in Roslindale, a wonderful part of Boston filled with "walk-to" family-owned businesses, many reflecting the cultural diversity of our neighborhood's population. During my time there, I acquired a taste for the bright pink pickles that one nearby lunch spot would put on their falafel or hummus sandwiches. I was later thrilled to find enormous jars of them for sale at Droubi Brothers Bakery, a Middle Eastern pita bakery and grocery that has been in Roslindale Village for decades. I hadn't even realized that the pickles were made from turnips until I bought one of those jars at Droubi's and read the label.
 
When I began pickling, much more recently, it brought back memories for me to come across the recipe "Pink Pickled Turnips" in "The Joy of Pickling" by Linda Zeidrich. I make a few jars of these whenever I have some turnips available. I have made them with just about any kind of turnip, even salad turnips, though the classic version uses varieties of cooking turnips.
 
My recipe is modified from the one in "The Joy of Pickling". My primary changes are that I use plain white vinegar instead of white wine vinegar and that I can the jars for long-term storage instead of storing them in the refrigerator for a few weeks. This recipe can easily be adjusted to accommodate the amount of turnips you have on hand. Just try to keep the proportions of vegetables to liquid as close to this as possible.

Even if you're not a fan of turnips, if you like pickles please try this! The author of "The Joy of Pickling" wrote that she had never liked turnips until she tried these. I have always loved turnips, anyway, but find that the flavor of these pickles is very different from any other turnip dish I've had.  Enjoy!
 
3 lbs turnips, peeled and cut into small chunks (bite-size)
Leafy tops of 2 to 3 celery stalks
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 small beet, peeled and sliced
2 cups white distilled vinegar (I use organic vinegar from Whole Foods)
2 cups water
1 Tbs pickling or sea salt (not regular table salt)
 
Divide the raw vegetables into clean canning jars. (This amount fills about 2 qt jars, or the corresponding number of smaller jars). Use more garlic cloves if needed to ensure that each jar has some. Usually about 2 cloves per qt, or 1 clove per pint, is enough. Also, break up the celery stalks to make sure some celery is in each jar. Essentially, the jar will be mostly turnips with at least one or two slices of beets to provide the color.
 
Heat the water and vinegar on the stove and stir in the salt until it dissolves.
 
Cover the vegetables in the jars with the hot liquid and fill it up to about 1/4 inch from the top. Probe at the veggies gently with a chopstick to release trapped air bubbles. Apply the two-piece covers and screw on the lids to prepare for canning. (Make sure to add the hot liquid right before processing so that the jars do not have a chance to cool, or they may crack when submerged in the boiling water.) Process the jars in boiling water for 15 minutes. Ensure that the boiling water covers the jar tops by at least 1 inch. (Consult basic canning references for more details.)  After canning, let the jars cool and store them in your pantry for at least 10 days before opening for optimal flavor.

Sue Doctrow is a LexFarm member, CSA shareholder (2 seasons so far!), and a volunteer on the LexFarm Property Committee. She lives in Arlington, a short walk from the farm, and is also a member of the Robbins Farm Garden, a cooperative community vegetable garden in Arlington. As a biochemist, Sue is especially fascinated with her fermentation experiments.