A turnip is a round root vegetable that grows underground, with white or cream-colored flesh and purple or reddish coloring on top where it peeks above the soil. Farmers and gardeners harvest turnips in cool weather, and people have grown them for thousands of years because they're hardy, nutritious, and store well through winter.

Turnips taste slightly peppery and sweet when raw, and they become milder and softer when cooked. You can roast them like potatoes, mash them, add them to soups, or eat them raw in salads. The leafy greens that grow above ground, called turnip greens, are also edible and packed with vitamins.

In stories and folklore, turnips often represent simple, humble food. Before pumpkins became popular for jack-o'-lanterns in America, people in Ireland and Scotland carved scary faces into turnips to ward off evil spirits. The expression “you can't get blood from a turnip” means you can't get something from someone who doesn't have it to give, like trying to collect money from someone who's completely broke.