Devotionals

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“She’s been known to take a nip from time to time”… Don’t go down that blind alley. I’m referring to turnips and parsnips! As a New York State native, I really like both members of the nip family. It’s been years since I’ve tasted parsnips but cannot forget their sweet flavor. As I recall, Mom served turnips on special occasions, such as with a festive Thanksgiving dinner.

I do not need to wait for a special occasion. My husband, the type A personality gardener has put his high achiever tendencies into action. He scattered lots of seed, just to be on the safe side…It was a hot dry summer; the turnips might not even come up. Wrong! The turnip patch seems to be unstoppable.

How can the wife of a vegetarian put a stop to his tenacious green thumb? Can’t be done. He harvested one turnip that was the size of a large grapefruit, too bad he didn’t enter it in competition! I nearly injured myself trying to peel it. He has volunteered for KP duty and helped with peeling, cutting and slicing. I prepared the nips for the table and freezer.

Necessity is the mother of invention and with a surplus, I’ve discovered a few turnip tricks. I place wedges of peeled and washed turnips in a large bowl with a small amount of water and place the bowl in the microwave for 15-20 minutes. The turnips melt in your mouth! Last week I noticed how much a raw turnip looks like a raw potato.

My husband likes French fries and home fries, so I wondered if I could fry turnips… Surely, people do. In the south, you can even order fried pickles. I had nothing to lose, just turnips to use. So, I fried turnips. They smelled wonderful while cooking. I do not promote fried foods, but must admit it is another way to serve my nips.

God seeks those willing to serve. “Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing (Psalm 100: 2 NAS).” Hmm… “She’s been known to serve a person or two from time to time.” I’d like to believe that is true. The Holy Spirit gathers them and places them in my life. There is no KP duty; instead, I push up my sleeves and bend my knees.

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