Rutabaga...

[lesa]

Tried it for the first time this year. Very easy- planted seeds way back in April. No fuss, no bug problems. Harvested out first one last night. Very tasty! The chickens love the leaves (which there are a lot of), so this will be an addition to our garden every year... Have a new bunch planted, hopefully ready for harvest in fall.

This is how they look in the garden...

 

[digitS']

How would you describe their flavor, Lesa?

. . . relative to turnips and other members of the cabbage family . . .

I seem to remember eating one once but can't remember. Might be wrong about that . . . .

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

Nice root there! I am just amazed at the difference in the growth your getting compared to what my stuff is doing. It's supposed to be in the 80s this week, so I'm out in the garden in my cheerleader outfit trying to inspire some enthusiasm for growth in my reluctant plants!

btw, my grandma grew rutabagas, which for some reason we thought was the funniest word we had ever heard, and commenced calling each other "rutabagas" as a substitute for "turkey".
...Yeah, we were weird kids....

 

[lesa]

The taste is a very pleasant "turnip" flavor. Not nearly as strong tasting as the ones I have had from the grocery. I mashed it and added a little nutmeg. I was growing with the intention of adding them to slow cook meals (in the winter), but this made a very nice side dish.
Thistle, I bet you were all adorable "rutabaga's"! Do you remember how she stored them? Wondering if I am going to have to wax them. Good luck with your cheerleading- summer appears to have finally arrived here!

 

[Greenthumb18]

Nice rutabaga lesa!
I remember last year planting them in the garden but for some reason they never formed the big root part.
This is a good vegetable to have during the winter.

 

[journey11]

I've never eaten a rutabega before. I hear they're really tasty though. That's a nice big one you've got there Lesa! I suppose you could eat their greens as well?

 

[Smiles Jr.]

. . . so I'm out in the garden in my cheerleader outfit . . .

Pictures, pictures, we gotta see pictures!!

 

[sparks]

I would never consider making veg, beef or chicken soup without a rutabaga! They just need that extra boost from the "baggy" as my Mom would say. They are great to grow on "new" ground. The flavor gets better if they get a bit of frost in the fall.

 

[lesa]

I'm hoping my second planting can wait until frost, for harvest...but these are pretty much ready now!!

 

[thistlebloom]

Do you remember how she stored them? Wondering if I am going to have to wax them. Good luck with your cheerleading- summer appears to have finally arrived here!

No, sorry, we only got to visit my grandparents in the summer, but she did have a root cellar under the house. I imagine that's where she would have kept them