(Backyard Gardener - Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

Editor’s note: This column originally appeared Aug. 9, 2024

Hello Mid-Ohio Valley gardeners and farmers!

Autumn is just around the corner. Fall is a good time to plant turnips, kale and rutabagas. Many of you may be unfamiliar with the rutabaga (Brassica napus). Rutabagas are a cool season root crop in the Brassica family and, in many ways, are a somewhat larger version of a turnip (Brassica rapa).

However, the rutabagas tend to be sweeter and less strongly flavored than the smaller turnip. They both thrive in cool weather and can be very productive. Similar to other root vegetables, quality can be poor when either of these crops are grown in hot weather or get too big and pithy.

Rutabagas have an interesting history here in America. They gained popularity among farmers from an article written by William Cobbett and published in the American Farmer magazine. Throughout the early 1820s, the magazine distributed rutabaga seeds to curious farmers in every region of the United States.

Askov, Minnesota (population 364), was once called the rutabaga capital of the U.S. and still holds the Rutabaga Fair and Festival every fourth week of August. Rutabaga sausage is served along with traditional Danish aebleskiver (pancakes). Nursery owner Ludvig Mosbaek sent for rutabaga seeds from Denmark way back in 1909.

Rutabagas were once very popular in West Virginia. They were originally promoted as a winter livestock feed but were widely grown for human consumption to be included in beef stews or mashed with milk or cream. Highland grassy sites in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia were popular sites for potato and rutabaga farming in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Rutabaga comes from rotabagge, the plant’s Swedish name which means “baggy root.” This cross between a cabbage and a turnip is sometimes called a Swedish turnip or swede. In West Virginia, it also has been referred to as a Hanover. Some sources mention Hanover salad as a subspecies of rutabagas.

Rutabagas are typically harder and denser than turnips, with shapes including oval, round or triangular, with yellowish to brown skin and cream-orange flesh. Rutabaga leaves are bluish-green, thick and smooth. The roots are often more elongated than turnip roots and have a thick, leafy neck.

Rutabagas need a longer growing season (90 days or more) compared to turnips (45-60 days). Turnips are harvested at a baseball size compared to a softball or larger size for rutabagas.

Rutabagas are sweeter with orange flesh compared to the zesty, mustard-like flavor of the white fleshed turnip. Rutabagas are typically harder and denser than turnips.

The more commonly known turnip is smaller and round with purple and white skin, and white flesh.

Many heirloom varieties of rutabaga were grown, including “Marian,” “Navone,” “American Purple Top Yellow,” “Nadmorska,” “Laurentian” and “Wilhelmsburger.” Purple Top and Laurentian are widely available from commercial seed companies.

A moderately deep, highly fertile, well-drained soil with pH 6.2 to 6.8 is best for growing rutabagas. Rutabagas can be planted in rows 14 to 18 inches apart. Work the soil well to form a good seedbed and incorporate fertilizer thoroughly. Plant seeds ¢-inch deep with about 4 inches between plants. Initial seeding can be closer and then the plants thinned to a 4-inch spacing,

Turnip aphids, flea beetles, root maggots and wireworms are serious pests. Root maggots and wireworms attack the roots and control may require preplant applications of proper insecticides to the soil. Aphids and flea beetles damage the tops and a spray program may be needed to control them.

Harvest rutabagas after they have been exposed to several light frosts. This will enhance the sweetness and flavor of the roots. Roots should be 4 to 5 inches in diameter. Trim off the foliage to within 1 inch of the crown.

Rutabagas should be cooked and can replace the potato in nearly every recipe. The following is a recipe from Theresa C. Brown’s book Modern Domestic Cookery (1871).

Mashed Rutabagas. Pare off the rind; throw them into boiling water, sliced; boil them gently until tender; lift them out; press the water with a plate; then mash, and return them to a clean hot sauce-pan; stir in a large tablespoonful of butter; season with pepper and salt according to your taste.

Preparation methods include roasting, baking or steaming them. Roasting these vegetables highlights their natural sweetness. The green tops from both turnips and rutabagas are edible. Contact me at the Wood County WVU Extension Office 304-424-1960 or e-mail me at jj.barrett@mail.wvu.edu with questions. Until next time, Good Luck and Happy Gardening!