Ever since our Discovering Our Roots dinner a few weeks ago, I have had a nagging sense of inadequate scientific effort. Turnip afficionadoes will no doubt recall that in that Discovery Dinner we sampled a newly-discovered Gilfeather Turnip from Vermont along with two other turnips. One of those was the fabled Eastham Turnip, but of course we had not acquired an Eastham (Cape Cod) Turnip in Brattleboro, VT; the Eastham entry had come already cooked and lightly seasoned from Annette's freezer.

It wasn't exactly a fair comparison. The Eastham Turnip was not treated the same way as its competitors, and it may have gained an unfair advantage. You can imagine competition among turnips must get awfully fierce, they so seldom get the spotlight... So I vowed to procure an Eastham Turnip and subject it to the same rigorous treatment endured by the Gilfeather and the ill-fated Scarlet Turnip.

Eastham Turnips are not exactly leaping off the shelves of Cape Cod groceries. You have to search diligently, or else you have to know where to find them. Richmond had generously told me of his special hunting ground: a roadside stand on the east side of Route 6 in Eastham. It's a little place, easily missed. I know this because I missed it. Twice. And by the time I got back there, they were closed.

Before reaching the happy end of this action-packed turnip tale, here's the skinny on the Eastham turnip stand:  as you head north on Rte 6 in Eastham, doubtless closely pursued by some impatient pickup truck, don't dawdle. Drive as fast as you like (minding the local constabulary) until you see St. Aubin's Garden Center. Get in the right lane and continue watching for Poit's Mini-golf, maybe half a mile further. Slow down and watch closely. Right after Poit's you turn off the road into a sandy lot with a nondescript vegetable stand carefully hidden from turnip-hunters.

About that happy ending: Words cannot express my deep dismay at having missed the fabled turnip stand. I had other objectives to complete however, and one of them brought me to the Super Stop and Shop in Orleans, where I found a great heap of Eastham Turnips right at the entrance to the Produce section!

I'll cook it up tonight.