Re: Turnip Jack-o-Lanters
- To: "Michael Cohill" <m*@neo.lrun.com>
- Subject: Re: Turnip Jack-o-Lanters
- From: "* /* C* <m*@olywa.net>
- Date: Wed, 12 Nov 1997 08:51:40 -0800
Michael,
Martha Stewart carved a few turnip lanterns on her show about 3 weeks
ago.She hung them from tree limbs along her front walkway on Halloween
night. (or so she said)
Shellie
-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Cohill <mcohill@neo.lrun.com>
To: pumpkins@athenet.net <pumpkins@athenet.net>
Date: Wednesday, November 12, 1997 5:16 AM
Subject: Turnip Jack-o-Lanters
>Through this e-mail group I found links to Halloween sites which told
>stories of the Jack-O-Lanter's origins. Stories tell how the Irish used
>turnips for lanters. When the Irish came to N. America they exchanged their
>turnip lanterns to pumpkin lanterns.
>
>Has anyone ever carved a turnip lantern - or know of one who has?
>
>It seems to me that most store bought turnips would make miserably small
>lanterns. Even home/garden grown turnips would be real small. However,
>turnips used to be grown as livestock fodder and these turnips were huge
>compared to their table variety cousins. Today, few if any grow turnips
>for thier livestock. Perhaps the turnips grown for fodder where the ones
>used for lanterns by the Irish instead of the table varieties.
>
>A check of the "Garden Seed Inventory" shows only 29 different varieties of
>turnips are sold today by North American seed companies. This compares to
>64 varieties offered in 1981. And, none of the presently available
>varieties seem to be the large fodder type turnips.
>
>The 1997 Seed Savers Exchange Yearbook lists an additional 30 varieties of
>turnips of which a number are fodder varieties sometimes called "cow
>rutabagas." Some are said to grow to basketball size. Now that's big
>enough to make a cool Jack-o-lantern
>
>I know some on this list grow other vegies besides pumpkins. Might any be
>growing one of these huge turnips? If anyone on this list be interesting
>in growing one of these vanishing varieties of large Jack-O-Lantern-type
>turnips please e-mail me.
>
>Michael
>mcohill@neo.lrun.com
