Native to western Asia and Europe, white turnip (Brassaca rapa subsp. rapa) is a member of the mustard family, Brassicaceae, that also includes cabbage, broccoli, and stock. It is grown for its white fleshy tap root for both human consumption and livestock feed. The bulbous taproot is 2-8″ in diameter and is white except for the top 1/2-2 1/2″ that turns purple, red, or greenish where exposed to the sun.
My paternal grandmother, Helen S Wright included a recipe for turnip wine in her book, Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wines, published in 1909. Here is the recipe in the words of my grandmother:
Pare and slice a number of turnips, put them into a cider-press and press out all the juice. To every gallon of juice add three pounds of lump sugar. Have a vessel ready large enough to hold the juice, and put one-half pint of brandy to every gallon. Pour in the juice and lay something over the bung for a week-to see if it works; if it does, do not bung it up until it is done working. Then stop it close for three months, and draw it off into another vessel. When it is fine, bottle it.