Description Turnip, Gold Ball Turnips belong to the brassica family which includes cabbage, cauliflowers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and mustard among other vegetables. Turnips have been cultivated for thousands of years and are probably native to both Europe and central and western Asia. European colonists brought turnips to the New World in 1609 and rutabagas soon followed. The colonists did not recognize the rutabaga as a different vegetable. They treated the rutabaga as a kind of turnip. There are many different kinds of turnips including purple-topped gold, purple-topped white, yellow, white and golden. Some turnips are grown for their roots and some are grown exclusively for their green tops. Both turnips and rutabagas like cool weather and the sweetness of both is greatly enhanced by exposure to hard frosts.
