For my whole gardening life I've tried to grow rutabaga. Never once have I successfully done this. Of all the vegetables, it was this peasant root I couldn't produce. And then I did and I was so excited I took 6 portraits of myself with it.
Despite my super-cool demeanour in these glamour shots, I'm Gangnam Style dancing on the inside.
I understand only a ridiculous person would do something like a) take self portraits with their favourite rutabaga, and then b) publish those photos thinking people would obviously be very interested in seeing them.
But, I feel like most humans enjoy photos of David Beckham, kittens hangin' in there, and foods associated with famine. If you're interested I also have a compelling self portrait with a potato.
This 7 pound baby made mashed rutabaga for 12 people at Thanksgiving dinner, with enough left over to have another Thanksgiving dinner the next night for 12 more people.
Instead of doing that though, I froze the leftover mash into 10 individual sized portions that I can pull out as a side dish all winter long.
Which begs the question, what am I going to do with the other 30 rutabagas I grew. One option is to carve it.
I know. It's terrifying.
Halloween
Carved turnip (which is not a rutabaga, more on that later) were the original Halloween pumpkins. National Geographic has a really interesting article about the history of the carved turnip that dates back thousands of years. Ireland (these are a people who love a root vegetable portrait) popularized the ghost turnip
I mentioned that turnip is not the same thing as rutabaga. One is not just a bigger version of the other.
A rutabaga is a cross between a turnip and a cabbage. The wacky cousin.
I'll have to try waxing them, like you see in grocery stores, because nothing says I appreciate your hard work and hospitality like the holiday hostess gift of a head sized waxed root vegetable.
The trick to finally successfully growing rutabaga? I think I just wasn't watering them enough. Or maybe they got more sun.
Or maybe it was the spirit of ghost rutabagas with a little help from Annie Leibovitz. Either way, I have many more rutabagas to dig up once the frost has hit them. Frost sweetens them and they can stay in the ground all winter if you mulch them with straw or soil.
If you thought this was exciting, wait'll I pull my parsnips.
Shelley Goodman
Freakin awesome rutabaga Karen !
Hettie
Congratulations! I have rutabaga envy. My rutabagas, carrots, and beets were on my garden voles' Thanksgiving menu. They feasted! Any tips on how to get rid of voles? For good? Love your blog!
Catherine Powers
I laughed so hard at this post! Himself came from the other room to see what was so funny. Love you and your sense of humor!
Sharon Avery
Beautiful!! My husband is Canadien from Newfoundland. His favorite fall meal is a jigs dinner. Nothing like a little salt beef to flavor all those rutabagas carrots and potatoes
I’ve now been tasked with trying to grow them next year!
Donna
I hated rutabaga until my mil fed me a casserole with apples and rutabaga and brown sugar. I thought it was dessert. Loved it so much my husband and I planted two forty foot rows of seeds in 2022. They all germinated to our surprise! Like zucchini we gave many away and froze the rest. We ate them all. No garden this year and I miss having homegrown veggies.
Ali
OMG. That carved one. I am sure to have nightmares tonight.
Gaye Baxter
I found your rutabegar post in my junk file and just had to comment.
Mashed is not the only way to go with those babies. We would peel, dice and cooked until tender then put chopped cabbage and either ham/broth or bacon for seasoning and salt. Rutabegar and cabbage cousins that are meant to be together.