Rutabaga

Growing Rutabaga

Photo credit wikipedia

Now here is a plant that is perfectly legal to grow yet few people grow it anymore.  But that may change as rutabagas have become popular with fancy chefs lately.  Rutabagas (Brassica napus) are a root vegetable and while they have some similarity to turnips, they don’t taste like turnips. Some theorize they are a cross between turnips and cabbage but they are probably just a selection from the cabbage family as Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower are.

Rutabagas are sweeter than turnips in taste and they are one of the most nutritious members of the cabbage family.  Rutabaga can be sliced and eaten fresh and it is often cooked in soups and stews. Rutabaga can be cooked and mashed like potatoes. A mashed rutabaga dish with sour cream and dill is popular in trendy restaurants.  Rutabaga pieces can also be fried and taste like fried sweet potatoes. Traditional pasties use rutabagas in them.  The meat pie that my grandmother made for holidays originally used rutabagas as well as potatoes and I remember my grandfather growing them.  Rutabagas will store for a long time in a cool place.

Rutabagas have tan or tan and purple roots that are round or oval in shape. Mature roots are 4-6 inches in diameter. The inner flesh of the root is firm and usually golden in color.  The roots are sweeter after a light frost or some cold weather.  The young leaves of some rutabagas may be purple Rutabaga leaves can be eaten like turnip greens when young.

Rutabagas can be planted in early spring or in July for a fall crop.  They require 90-100 days to maturity. Rutabagas like fertile, well drained, loose soil. A soil pH of 6 is optimal but they adapt to most soils. Rutabaga seed should be planted in full sun and the seeds spaced about 2 inches apart.  Thin plants to 6-8” apart as they grow.  Rutabaga roots can be harvested as soon as they are big enough to eat, young roots are the most tender, or dug just before a hard freeze.

A problem with rutabagas common to many root crops is root maggots.  Make sure to rotate the area where rutabagas are planted in the garden each year.  Harvesting the roots when young and smaller helps prevent root maggots. Some common varieties of rutabagas are Joan, Tweed, and Lauretian.