Several years ago, Miss Landers and I did a comparison between turnips and rutabagas, and I thought about that when I was harvesting some today. I wondered if I thought the same about them now as I did then. I'd say, "Yep." So, I'm going to rerun the original post I did about the two.
Rutabagas
I've always been curious about rutabagas. Well, actually, I've never been curious about rutabagas and have never given them much thought until recently, when Miss Landers brought some over from her garden for us to try. This was her first time growing them, and she was curious about how they compared with turnips, so she also brought turnips that she had grown.
A bit of research revealed that rutabagas are a natural cross between turnips and wild cabbage. They are a relatively new plant, in that the first time they are mentioned in literature is in the early 1600s. They go by many names, including yellow turnips and swedes, because Sweden is a top producer. (Can you guess they like to grow in colder weather?) The name “rutabaga” is derived from an old Swedish word meaning “root bag.”
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| Notice the multiple roots and yellow tint of the rutabaga. |
How about our turnip vs. rutabaga comparison? This is what we observed. Miss Landers said that as she was pulling them (both root vegetables), the rutabagas seemed to have more roots and root hairs. Both were pungent when raw and smelled like a cross between cabbage and radishes. The rutabaga had a yellow tint to it that intensified when cooked, while the turnip remained white.
We were able to convince Ward and Theodore to participate in a taste test after the vegetables were cooked--which was pretty remarkable considering neither one of them likes turnips. They weren't too sure that they wanted to sample anything called yellow turnips. However, they did sample them right along with Miss Landers and me.
We all agreed that the rutabaga had a definite potato taste. Theodore said that the rutabaga tasted as if it were a cross between potatoes and Brussels sprouts. A fairly apt description. Theodore and I liked the turnips better with their more peppery taste, while Ward and Miss Landers liked the rutabagas better with their milder taste and creamier texture.
In conclusion, will I start adding rutabagas to my grocery list on a regular basis? No. But will I now have something new to talk about when there is a lull in the conversation? Yes. :)
Note: I haven't been buying rutabagas, but I did grow some along with turnips this fall with extra seeds Miss Landers had.
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| Notice the white color of the cooked turnips and the yellow color of the rutabaga. |
More sources:
- Rutabaga overview--http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutabaga
- Rutabaga recipes--http://allrecipes.com/recipes/everyday-cooking/seasonal/winter/rutabaga/top.aspx
- Rutabaga nutrition--http://www.produceoasis.com/Items_folder/Vegetables/Rutabaga.html
- How to grow rutabagas http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-26.html
- A serious and not so serious blog about rutabagas--http://rutablogger.blogspot.com/2011/04/breakthrough-photosnynthesis-stimulate.html
