Prairie Turnip
By: Anonymous

About

Also known as Ground Potato or Indian Breadroot, Prairie Turnip grows in the great plains region of North America and can be eaten raw or cooked, or dried and ground into a flour.

Information
Translations: Prēriju rāceņu, Prairie Ropė, Prairie gulie, Prairie Repa, Prairie củ cải, Prairie Rzepa, प्रैरी शलजम, Prairie Nabo, Прейри репа, Prairie Γογγύλι, مرج اللفت, 프레리 바보야, Prairie Vodnice, Prairie singkamas, 草原萝卜, Pradera nap, Prairie strniščna repa, Prairie Okrúhlica, Prairie Rapa, בערבה לפת, Prairie Rova, Равница репе, プレイリーカブ, Prairie navet, Prairie Majroe, Prairie nepe, Pradera nabo, Прейрі ріпа, Prairie Nauris, Prairie ряпа


Selecting and Buying
Seasonality: may, june, july
Peak: june
Procuring: Found in grasslands within the Great Plains that do NOT have a history of herbicide use (these are very intolerant to chemical application). June is the peak time to forage, they are found by looking for the characteristic above ground vegetation. Usually very difficult to find after mid-July becuase this above ground structure will break off and tumble away to facilitate seed dispersal. 


Social/Political

History: Flour created from a dried turnip is the secret ingredient in Indian fry bread! This was also a very important food source for native Americans.