Turnips are the swollen root of a plant that belongs to the Brassica family. It is smaller but very similar to the rutabaga. It has a pink purple bottom and a snowy white top on the skin, but inside it is creamy white. It has a mild nutty sweet flesh, and is quite firm. It is good cooked in vegetable stews, and is a good work horse type of vegetable. It is best roasted and glazed in butter, and can be boiled, steamed, and mashed like potatoes.

Select turnips that are firm, smooth skinned and small to medium size, 2 to 3 inches in diameter.  Allow 1/3 to 1/2 pound fresh turnip per person. Store turnips, unwashed in a cool dark place, preferably under refrigeration. Turnips sometimes come waxed to protect them from drying out. Peel this wax off before using.

Yield:
2 medium turnip or about 450 g/1 lb for 4 people in stews or soup.

Nutrition: 
28 Cals/ 3 1/2 oz. raw, 44 Cals/3 1/2 oz. cooked. 

Optimum temperature 45 degrees at relative humidity of 90-95%.
Here are some good sites for more information on turnips.
http://osu.orst.edu/food-resource/v/turnip.html

Here are some good turnip recipes:
http://www.geocities.net/~recipelu/turnip.html