Ask Mavis – Turnips, Weed Control, Paint Colors, Seattle and More

It’s that time again. You ask, and I pretend to know things and answer your burning questions. It really is so much fun to open my inbox and see the wide variety of questions you guys have. Reminds me that my readers are so diverse and pretty dang awesome. So keep those questions coming and I’ll keep racking my brain for answers. As always, please pipe up if you have any input or are knowledgeable when it comes to any of the following questions:

I was wondering if you have a favorite recipe for turnip roots. I love the greens and sometimes put a few roots in the pot with them, but too many makes the greens so bitter.

~Debbie

When it comes to turnips, I usually keep it pretty simple.  I like to chop them into one inch cubes and roast them like I would potatoes.  I toss them in a bit of olive oil and garlic salt and roast them in a 400 degree oven until they are crispy.  If I am feeling fancy, I’ll peel and shred them, and then cook them as I would hashbrowns.  Let me tell you, Bob, they are delicious like that, but usually I don’t have the motivation to shred them.  Also, if you are willing to shred them, they taste fantastic in frittatas.  Just add a cup or two to any frittata recipe {if the recipe calls for potatoes, omit those and replace them with turnips}.

Hi I live in Seattle and in my neighborhood we have parking strips in between the sidewalk and the street. So I dug mine up so that I could have a garden. I love it. However, the weeds are crazy. Do you put anything over your empty gardens in winter to keep the weeds down? 

~Noelle

Noelle, I use landscape fabric in all of my beds, except my raised garden boxes.  I love the stuff.  For my raised boxes, I typically have fall/winter crops growing most of the year, so I have to weed around them.  If you are putting your space to bed for the winter, and don’t want to get out there and weed, you could do a couple different things {which you choose really depends on whether you have strict HOA rules}:  You could mulch really heavily using leaves and grass.  That will kind of suffocate out the weeds.  You could also lay newspaper {about three pages thick}  or cardboard down, and then top it with grass clippings to give it a nicer look.  Make sure to water the newspaper or cardboard down before you lay the grass clippings on top.

Remodeling while having cancer. I noticed we have the same kitchen counters in your remodel. What color of paint did you use in the kitchen? Any suggestions would be appreciated. My kitchen is an open concept to the living room. So I need a color that will blend throughout. I don’t have the energy to deal with a lot of the details. Thanks in advance.

~Camel

First off, I am so sorry you are going through that.  My best thoughts are coming your way.  As for your questions, we used Valspar paint, the color was Hopsack.  It is a great neutral color.  In fact, my friend Girly Girl uses it in all of the model home she decorates.

I need 850 set of 10 pieces, to the container food saver, shipping to airplane. to santo domingo, dominican republic. thanks to quote to us.

~Fidel

Fidel, I want to help you out, my friend, but I am not entirely sure what you are asking.  If you want to ship canned goods on an airplane, here’s how I would box them.  If you need to get a boatload of apples on a plane, again, I got you covered.  Honestly, after that, I’m out.  I thought I would include the question anyhow, in case any of you readers could decipher…

Hey Mavis, I am going to be in Seattle for a work conference in March, and tips and places to see? I’ve never been and I’m not sure of whether or the non-typical places to go to. Any ideas?

~Kayla

It just so happens that I wrote a post awhile back about some of my favorite places to go and things to do in Seattle. I have lived here for years, and still haven’t done everything the city has to offer.  It really is an amazing city with a TON to offer.  Let me know what you end up doing…

Have a question?  Submit it HERE, and I’ll try to answer them.

~Mavis