What exactly is a rutabaga?

The Fact of the Matter Is. . .

From the Files of Gustavus Historical Archives & Antiquities (GHAA)

            www.GustavusHistory.org

Q. What exactly is a rutabaga?

A.  A cannonball, jack-o-lantern, winner of the all time funny name list, animal fodder, despised war time staple, delectable gourmet offering, and an immortalized cruciferous vegetable in the 1970s Frank Zappa classic “Call Any Vegetable”. One can soon see that the answer is as complex as the name. We’ll explain.

Rutabagas played an important role in the early homesteader’s lives at Strawberry Point. There were years the crop was plentiful (from the Ernie Swanson, Verne Henry days c.1914), only to be lost by shipwreck, freezing temperatures, or freak tides. None-the-less, they were a mainstay on every table and a virtual lifesaver. But why rutabagas?

GHAA has a copy of Abraham Parker’s 1925 Report of the Alaska Agricultural Experiment Stations for SE Alaska. It was a project to help the early farmers determine which variety of seeds did best in our short, cool and rainy summers. Our relatively mild winters are “admirably suited to horticulture” the report reads. It continues,”Heavy rains, usually beginning in July and continuing through the growing season, prevent grain crops from ripening, but vegetables and berries of the hardier sorts can be grown.” It concluded that the climate in SE is well suited to rutabagas, that they grew larger (GHAA has an old Parker photo of a 23 pounder) and brought higher prices than rutabagas grown around Puget Sound. It sights the Bangholm Purple Top, Yellow Swedish, and Wilhelmsburger varieties as doing especially well—yielding at the rate of 18 tons an acre. The results of these experiments were very important and became the farmer’s prized reference Bible. Why? Because there were no second chances on choosing the crops for the season, and their very survival depended not only on the weather and the sweat of their brow, but on proven varieties for their location.

The rutabaga (also called Swede Turnip) is thought to have evolved as a cross between wild cabbage and a turnip. It is a root vegetable with yellowish hue and ridges at its neck. Mound planting provides adequate drainage and warmer soil. Planting rows in N-S direction is recommended. Some say younger rutabagas are more flavorful than older tubers which tend towards woody, bitter peels, and that the sweetest ones are harvested after the first frost. Rutabagas are also used as a foraging cover crop for animals. They are a good source of vitamin C, potassium, beta-carotene and fiber. The leafy “greens” can be boiled and used like spinach, or in salads. The root can be baked, boiled, mashed (along with potatoes), stewed, fried, scalloped, pureed and added to a soufflé or “pasty”.  If you are already not sure, be aware the flavor can become stronger if overcooked. So, what is the flavor? Well, that is hard to pin down!

Everyone describes the flavor of rutabagas differently. We have heard the words “sweet and peppery”, “strong and pungent”, “just awful—truly not palatable”, “unlovable”, “nut-like”, “delicate”, “fabulous”, and “easily can become a family favorite”. Obviously, it’s an individual taste.

Now for some little known rutabaga facts. Prior to pumpkins being readily available, rutabagas were carved out with faces and made lanterns for Halloween. In WWI they acquired a bad reputation as war/depression “famine food”—whole populations were kept alive on rutabagas and little else. Rutabagas were reportedly used by the British in the early 1800s as “economical cannonballs”. It was said that “they made quite an impression”. We bet they did.

Want the simplest recipe? Peel, cut into ¾ in. chunks. Boil in salted water until tender. Drain and toss with butter and herbs. Or, boil and mash. Then mix with a bit of milk, butter, brown sugar and S & P.

Adventuresome? How about Rutabaga Pudding! For this old, wonderful recipe, go to http://www.gustavushistory.org/archives/view.aspx?id=20265.

What exactly is a rutabaga?

The Fact of the Matter Is. . .

From the Files of Gustavus Historical Archives & Antiquities (GHAA)

            www.GustavusHistory.org

Q. What exactly is a rutabaga?

A.  A cannonball, jack-o-lantern, winner of the all time funny name list, animal fodder, despised war time staple, delectable gourmet offering, and an immortalized cruciferous vegetable in the 1970s Frank Zappa classic “Call Any Vegetable”. One can soon see that the answer is as complex as the name. We’ll explain.

Rutabagas played an important role in the early homesteader’s lives at Strawberry Point. There were years the crop was plentiful (from the Ernie Swanson, Verne Henry days c.1914), only to be lost by shipwreck, freezing temperatures, or freak tides. None-the-less, they were a mainstay on every table and a virtual lifesaver. But why rutabagas?

GHAA has a copy of Abraham Parker’s 1925 Report of the Alaska Agricultural Experiment Stations for SE Alaska. It was a project to help the early farmers determine which variety of seeds did best in our short, cool and rainy summers. Our relatively mild winters are “admirably suited to horticulture” the report reads. It continues,”Heavy rains, usually beginning in July and continuing through the growing season, prevent grain crops from ripening, but vegetables and berries of the hardier sorts can be grown.” It concluded that the climate in SE is well suited to rutabagas, that they grew larger (GHAA has an old Parker photo of a 23 pounder) and brought higher prices than rutabagas grown around Puget Sound. It sights the Bangholm Purple Top, Yellow Swedish, and Wilhelmsburger varieties as doing especially well—yielding at the rate of 18 tons an acre. The results of these experiments were very important and became the farmer’s prized reference Bible. Why? Because there were no second chances on choosing the crops for the season, and their very survival depended not only on the weather and the sweat of their brow, but on proven varieties for their location.

The rutabaga (also called Swede Turnip) is thought to have evolved as a cross between wild cabbage and a turnip. It is a root vegetable with yellowish hue and ridges at its neck. Mound planting provides adequate drainage and warmer soil. Planting rows in N-S direction is recommended. Some say younger rutabagas are more flavorful than older tubers which tend towards woody, bitter peels, and that the sweetest ones are harvested after the first frost. Rutabagas are also used as a foraging cover crop for animals. They are a good source of vitamin C, potassium, beta-carotene and fiber. The leafy “greens” can be boiled and used like spinach, or in salads. The root can be baked, boiled, mashed (along with potatoes), stewed, fried, scalloped, pureed and added to a soufflé or “pasty”.  If you are already not sure, be aware the flavor can become stronger if overcooked. So, what is the flavor? Well, that is hard to pin down!

Everyone describes the flavor of rutabagas differently. We have heard the words “sweet and peppery”, “strong and pungent”, “just awful—truly not palatable”, “unlovable”, “nut-like”, “delicate”, “fabulous”, and “easily can become a family favorite”. Obviously, it’s an individual taste.

Now for some little known rutabaga facts. Prior to pumpkins being readily available, rutabagas were carved out with faces and made lanterns for Halloween. In WWI they acquired a bad reputation as war/depression “famine food”—whole populations were kept alive on rutabagas and little else. Rutabagas were reportedly used by the British in the early 1800s as “economical cannonballs”. It was said that “they made quite an impression”. We bet they did.

Want the simplest recipe? Peel, cut into ¾ in. chunks. Boil in salted water until tender. Drain and toss with butter and herbs. Or, boil and mash. Then mix with a bit of milk, butter, brown sugar and S & P.

Adventuresome? How about Rutabaga Pudding! For this old, wonderful recipe, go to http://www.gustavushistory.org/archives/view.aspx?id=20265.