Wednesday, September 26, 2012

turnip patch

I went and watered the turnips this morning. I saw one or 2 that were large enough to eat. They have really grown since I last watered which was last Thursday a week past .
Grandma Powell told me one winter during the depression they chopped turnips and feed them to the milk cow.
   
   YOU CAN"T GET BLOOD FROM A TURNIP.

Meaning: You cannot get something from a person, especially money, that they don't have. You can only get what people are willing or able to give. A turnip cannot be coaxed, squeezed, or cajoled into producing blood. All efforts at obtaining blood from this vegetable will be futile
Origin: Unknown, but thought to originate in the Bible, with the story about Cain and Abel in Genesis 4? "Abel kept flocks (a shepherd/rancher), and Cain worked the soil (a farmer). In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock (a meat offering requiring bloodshed). The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor." (NIV)
In the Old Testament God required a blood offering for sin. Hence, you can't get blood out of a turnip.

2 comments:

Sister--Helen said...

I think a lot of those sayings
Mama said had some colloration to the bible since I think they came from Grandpa Gaddy origionally

Galla Creek said...

I pulled turnips looking for ones big enough to cook as Larry is really anxious. They were too small and I did not even find many of the small ones. They were not very sweet so I am supposing that as they mature they sweeten. The ones I found were not much bigger than a radish...I guess about the size of a bantie egg. They were not very good. I put bacon grease, a little pepper, tspoon of sugar and salt. Cook til tender. I that the way you do it? Fleta liked them raw I remember.