A root vegetable with a nutty flavour that children happily take to, rutabaga (Brassica napobrassica) is an ancient heirloom crop, also called swede when the flesh is white. Give it humus-rich, well-drained soil and it will stand in the ground all winter, lifted a few at a time as you need them.
| Name | Brassica napobrassica |
|---|---|
| Family | Brassicaceae |
| Type | root vegetable |
| Height | 12 to 16 inches (30 to 40 cm) |
| Exposure | full sun |
| Soil | humus-rich, well-drained |
| Harvest | 3 to 4 months after sowing, from mid-autumn to early spring |
Rutabaga is particularly well suited to climates where winters are cold and wet. From sowing to harvesting, caring and preserving, every step is important and helps produce quality rutabaga.
Sowing rutabaga is best done indoors from early spring to mid-spring or directly in the ground from late spring to midsummer.
Cover the rutabaga seeds with ½ inch (1 to 2 cm) soil.
Once properly settled in, caring for rutabaga is quite straightforward, because this plant doesn’t require much attention.
Basic supervision is enough and the rutabaga will mature without any problems.
Occasionally, when there aren’t any more appetizing host plants nearby, a female large white will come lay eggs on leaves. Simply brush the caterpillars off into a jar and feed them to chickens to get rid of them.
Rutabaga is a biennial plant, and generally only flowers in the second year. Roots are ready for harvest before that, in the first year. Leave a few of the largest behind to go to seed and prepare the following year’s seed supply.
When harvesting, the rutabaga must feel firm and heavy. A square yard (1 m²) should yield an estimated 9 lbs (4 kg) on average.
Harvest Fall and Winter rutabaga just when you plan to eat them; they will also keep well in a cool and ventilated place.
They keep easily over several weeks, preferably in a cellar or in a cool, dark room.
You can also leave your rutabaga in the ground over the winter, even though harvesting them is a bit difficult when it freezes for a long time. To keep the soil soft, pile straw loosely atop the most mature roots, those that are next in line for the harvest. Keep the straw there for a couple weeks, the soil beneath it will warm up just enough to make harvesting a cinch. When harvesting, shift the straw over to the next few roots like a rolling carpet.
Leave them in the ground until early spring, at which point it’s best to harvest any remaining ones or else they’ll begin to sprout.
Rutabaga can be kept in several ways, and the right one depends on how long you want to wait before eating it. Here is how the options compare.
| Storage method | Conditions | How long it keeps | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Left in the ground | Mulched with dead leaves or straw over the mature roots | All winter, until early spring | Lift any remaining roots by early spring or they start to sprout |
| Cellar or cool, dark room | Cool, dark and ventilated | Several weeks | Harvest them just when you plan to eat them |
| Buried in dry sand | Roots covered over in dry sand | Longer than loose in a cellar | Pull the roots in dry weather before storing |
| Refrigerator | Vegetable rack of the fridge | A few days | Only worth it for immediate use |
Whichever method you choose, pull the roots in dry weather and handle them gently.
Rutabaga is cooked and eaten similarly to turnip, except that they generally need longer cooking.
Prepare a large pot with salted water:
Rutabaga are said to have therapeutic benefits, they are diuretic and help the digestive tract to “cleanse” itself. They are also fiber-rich and high in vitamin C and bring on very few calories.
It seems that rutabaga stemmed from turnips crossed with kale.
Rutabaga is a favorite of children for its nutty flavor.
This root vegetable is most often eaten cooked instead of raw, either mashed, baked with cheese, and even fried much like potatoes can be.
Pair them together with other winter vegetables such as turnips or carrots. Add them to typical winter dishes, like soup broth.
It is often easier to peel rutabaga with a sharp knife rather than the usual vegetable peeler. The thick flesh makes this difficult enough, so be forewarned!
Beware of letting the ground dry up, water abundantly during hotter months.
