Viva La Rutabaga!

Thursday, February 02, 2012

February is Rutabaga Challenge Month at Farm to Philly!

Let’s face it: rutabagas are fugly—they sort of look like waxy, oversized turnips…on a good day. Most people don’t know what a rutabaga is or what it’s used for, a theory I put to the test recently when I point-blank asked a handful of people to tell me about the root vegetable.

So what is a rutabaga? It is, indeed, related to turnips—it’s a cross between turnips and cabbage, and it’s an excellent vegetable that’s in season NOW. Sometimes you might seen it sold as a “yellow turnip.” They’re good for you, nutritionally speaking—lots of beta carotene, a good source of fiber, and you even get a nice boost in vitamin C, calcium, and iron. And they’re versatile: you can eat them cooked or raw. You can also eat rutabaga leaves.

No doubt you might be wondering why rutabagas are covered in a wax covering, right? It’s an issue of extending the vegetable’s storage life. Because rutabagas are not the most sought-after vegetable ever, grocery stores need to keep them from going bad. A wax covered rutabaga kept in the refrigerator will keep for up to two months. If you take special care of your rutabagas—stored at 32 to 35 degrees with 90 percent humidity—you can store unwaxed rutabagas for up to six months.

If you’ve always wondered how to cook a rutabaga or just want to prepare them in some different ways, be sure to check back at Farm to Philly throughout the month.