Can you eat deer turnips? | - From Hunger To Hope

Summer time means grilling season in our house, and there are so many amazing ways to prepare food without using the oven or stove. I hope you enjoy this recipe for something a little bit different. These turnips are known as deer turnips and are a member of the cabbage family. While they do taste like the real thing, they are a bit milder in flavor. You can use them in a variety of dishes just like you would a normal turnip. I think they go great in a stir fry, over eggs, or just in a salad. Let me know if you try them and how you like them.

A few years ago, my wife and I moved to a small town in the South. It’s a beautiful place with lots of history and old homes, but it’s also a rural area with a lot of farms. One of them was a family farm run by a farmer who kept a few deer on the property. One day we were driving down a country road and spotted a truck backing into the farmer’s driveway. We decided to find out more about the farm, so we got out of our car and approached the farmer. “We saw your deer on the way down the road today,” my wife said. “We were wondering if we can eat some of them.” “You can’t eat deer,” he said. “You can

A lot of people have asked me is deer turnips are safe to eat, can you eat deer turnips, and other questions about the turnips growing near my property. I finally decided to do an experiment. I planted the turnips and see what happened. I planted 12 turnips in a garden bed.

Deer enjoy both the green tops and the taproots of turnips, which is why you should put them in your food plot (or the turnip). Turnips are a cool-season perennial with a high protein content and a high digestibility for deer. Protein content in both the leaves and the roots may vary from 15 to 20%.

What kind of turnips do deer like in this regard?

Purple Top Turnips will not disappoint in your food plots. They’re simple to cultivate and manage, and they offer a wonderful crop for deer to graze throughout the autumn and winter hunting seasons.

Do turnips or radishes appeal to deer? Turnips and radishes are wonderful late-season foods that may be eaten long after the leaves have fallen off. The tubers will be eaten as long as the deer can dig them out of the freezing ground.

What is the best time of year for deer to eat turnips?

In general, deer prefer not to eat turnips throughout the spring and summer months. Turnips do not become delicious and attractive to deer until the first frost, which occurs between October and May. Once winter arrives, deer will feast on both the tops and roots of the plants.

Turnips are eaten by what animals?

Turnips were widely cultivated in England beginning in the 1600s for winter feeding of sheep and cattle, as a pasture crop for pigs, and as winter fodder for sows.

Answers to Related Questions

What is the finest turnip fertilizer?

Before and after planting, treat your soil with nutrient-rich fertilizer to obtain the largest, tastiest turnips in your home garden.

Cover 100 square feet of soil with 2 to 4 inches of decomposed organic materials.
Per 100 square feet, apply 2 to 4 cups of all-purpose fertilizer, such as 10-10-10, 10-20-10, or 16-16-8.

Is it true that turnips reseed?

Seeds for Fall Crops in the Spring

Dill, radishes, arugula, cilantro, broccoli raab, turnips, and any type of mustard can yield mature seeds in time for autumn reseeding in most regions if allowed to blossom and set seed. Alternatively, just walk over well-broken seed-bearing branches laid over a prepared bed.

Why are turnips so popular with deer?

Turnips are ideal for growing in tiny food plots because of their high yield. Brassica plants’ fiber content does not grow with age, unlike cereal grains and other fodder crops. This ensures they remain highly digestible for deer throughout the growth season.

When is the ideal season to start growing turnips?

When Should You Plant Turnips?

Sow turnip seeds directly in the garden as soon as the ground is workable, typically 2 to 3 weeks before the average last frost date, for a late spring crop.
Sow turnips in late summer for an autumn crop.
You may also plant seeds in the early fall for a harvest in the late autumn.

Carrots are a favorite of deer.

Deer are herbivores, therefore they like eating a variety of fruits and vegetables. Deer are capable of digesting a broad range of plant and vegetable matter. People give them peeled baby carrots as well as a cooked carrot. Carrots are delicious, healthy, and less stinky, therefore deer will always eat them.

How long do turnips take to develop from seed?

between four and seven days

When is the last time you can grow purple top turnips?

For a late spring crop, sow purple top turnip seeds approximately 1 inch apart in the trenches four to six weeks before the last frost, gently covering the seeds with dirt. Daytime temperatures of 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit are ideal for purple top and other turnip types.

Is it true that cows eat turnips?

Turnips will have a TDN content of 70 to 80 percent and a CP content of 14 to 22 percent. As a result, oats and turnips provide excellent feed for developing or nursing cattle like autumn calving cows. Cattle will pluck bulbs and eat them after the leaves have all been eaten; choking on bulbs has been an exceedingly uncommon issue.

When is the last time you can grow turnips for deer?

The most important thing to know about turnips is that although deer will eat them as soon as they sprout, don’t anticipate peak consumption during the early season. Deer don’t usually attack humans until mid-October to early November in regions with good food supplies.

Will tulips be eaten by deer?

Deer will consume a variety of plants, but they like the fresh green leaves of bulb plants. They usually don’t leave enough green to feed the bulb and get the bloom started. Persistence and deception are required to keep deer from eating tulips.

Is it true that turnips regrow every year?

On marginal land/soil, we’ve had excellent success with turnips. They have performed well while most other things have failed. Yes, they are simple to cultivate, but they do not return year after year.

What is the flavor of purple top turnips?

Purple top turnips, such as Purple Top White Globe, are the most popular kinds of turnips seen in supermarkets. This is a somewhat spicy turnip with a delicate texture. White Globe turnips have a similar taste to purple Globe turnips, however they don’t have the purple top.

Is it difficult to cultivate turnips?

Many people like growing turnip roots in their gardens. Turnips (Brassica campestris L.) go well with carrots and radishes, much like any other root vegetable. They’re simple to grow and may be planted in the spring for a summer crop or late in the summer for an autumn harvest.

Are rutabagas eaten by deer?

Rutabaga is a slower-growing vegetable that does not mature quickly, resulting in “woody” bulbs. Rutabaga has a larger bulb, greater top growth, and is more attractive to deer due to its improved pest and disease resistance. Examine a photo of turnips and compare it to a photo of rutabaga. It should be a simple decision.

How many pounds of brassicas do you need to grow an acre?

Plant 3 to 4 pounds of kale or rape per acre, or 1 to 3 pounds of swede or turnip per acre, to create good stands. Table 1 shows the basics of sowing and using several kinds of brassicas. For broadcast plants, higher seeding rates are suggested.

Do beets appeal to deer?

Deer will eat the tops of the plants as well as dig out and consume the roots. Deer will also graze on the sugar beets’ tops. Deer may not identify the roots as preferred food right away, but once they do, they will pound them. Cooler weather increases the sugar level of the roots, making them more appealing to deer.

Is it possible for turnip greens to regrow?

After they reach four inches in height, turnip greens may be picked at any time. The greens will continue to develop if the top of the bulb is not damaged. When the bulbs are tiny and delicate, about 2 or 3 inches in diameter, they are at their finest.

What are the foods that deer like to eat the most?

Fruits and nuts are favorites of deer. In addition to acorns, they like pecans, hickory nuts, and beechnut acorns. Apples, blueberries, blackberries, and persimmons are some of my favorite fruits.

Is it true that turnips provide nitrogen to the soil?

What makes certain plants, such as turnips, transfer nutrients into the soil while others, such as wheat, don’t? The nitrogen fixers (mainly legumes, such as peas and beans), which develop root nodules with a symbiotic bacterium, are the only plants that “put nutrients into the soil.” Some of it seeps into the soil, adding nitrogen to the mix.

There is a common myth that you can’t eat deer turnips due to their toxic nature. However, it turns out that they are not entirely toxic, and in fact, deer turnips are a very nutritious food that contains high amounts of Vitamin C , B vitamins, and calcium.. Read more about do deer eat rutabaga and let us know what you think.