Growing Grelos

I've never seen a serving suggestion on a seed packet before but here's grelos or turnip tops with chorizo. Tastey, I'd say.

I tried grelos for the first time last week in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, on a short break and had a delicious dish of lacon con grelos or loosely translated as best my understanding of Spanish is, joint of pork with turnip tops (shoulder I think but by the look of it the piece on the plate came not to far from the trotter).

And excellent it was too with the pork falling away from the bone and the wilted turnips tops absorbing lots of garlic.

Next day I went in search of seeds, slightly unusual in a city known more for its pilgrimage than plants and came across an old fashioned hardware store run by three shop coat wearing gents who were able to sort me out with a packet of Grelos de Santiago. Wrapped in brown parcel paper of course. Personal service you don't get many places and all for one euro.

So now I have another winter vegetable to add to my plans for this growing season. But the sowing instructions leave me a little puzzled. On the reverse of the packet, the English translation reads;

"Like all rape varieties they acquire their development in fresh and humid weather. Can be sown July to October in lines 20 - 50cm apart or at volley with the seed superficially buried."

I suppose they'll grow here as, after all, we grow turnips for their roots but where will they fit in my rotation and has anyone any growing tips for a first timer?

Comments

[Patrick]

I also had turnip greens for the first time a few weeks ago. The Dutch are very fond of them too.

In my case, I grow a variety of turnip (orange jelly) that has roots and tops that are both eatable. There are several varieties like this.

Turnips are a brassica, the same 'cole' plant family as cabbages, mustards, rapes, etc, and so follow the same rotation. Turnips can be spring or fall planted, and I usually plant them in August or September. They can be harvested in 60 days!

Turnips are remarkably resistant to the usual cabbage diseases, because they mature so quickly. By the time they start to develop problems, it's time to harvest them! They can also be left in the ground for a long time, and harvested when you want them.

[Patrick]

I Just had a look for this variety in the 2006 Seed Savers Exchange catalog, and it's listed by someone in Italy:

Grelos de Santiago la Peregrina: Produces lots of leaves, very tasty, large, rich in iron, typical of Galicia (north Spain 'finisterre'), very early, used to rainy weather, Galician recipes included, from La Peregrina.

This probably means it's suitable for seed saving!!

[Bambi Bogert]

I was wondering if you had any luck yet with growing your Grelos?

I learned to enjoy this delicious vegetable whilst visiting Galicia and northern Portugal. In fact, due to the fact that I don't eat seafood (which pretty much seemed to be a key ingredient in every single dish there) I was 'condemned' to eating 'caldo Gallego' (Galician soup, as it was called in Spain) and 'caldo verde' (green soup) in Portugal - and pretty much nothing else. This thick peasant soup, made with potatoes and ham hocks that gave it its characteristic smoky flavor, sustained me for several weeks, after which I became hooked!

Back home, I searched in vain for what I had come to know as 'los Grelos'. I finally found a small Spanish import store, where a bunch of old-timers became very excited when I mentioned it. As if I had said the magic word! They told me they actually grew it themselves in back of the store, and that if I came back in February, they would give me some (they didn't actually sell it).
Unfortunately come February I had moved, and so I never did get to taste their home-grown Grelos.

Now I live in NYC and the closest I've been able to find is collard greens, which is similar, but still different. I still long for the Grelos!

Please let me know if it worked out, and perhaps if you have any seeds left, I could trade you for something that is readily available here in the US...?

Graçias & obrigado!