Rutabaga.

We grew some beautiful rutabagas this year. We will leave the majority of them in the ground to be 'sweetened' by frost. I had to steal one last night to cook with a roasted chicken.  Turnips and rutabaga are confused for one another constantly. Rutabagas are actually the result of crossing a turnip with cabbage. The difference between the two is mainly in the colour of the flesh, generally turnips have white flesh where rutabaga has a more yellowish flesh. Turnips are round like a ball and rutabagas are typically more round at one end than the other and usually larger than a turnip. Turnips are sometimes grown more as a summer crop, some do grow them as a fall storage crop too, where rutabagas are planted a bit later and allowed to mature into the cool, fall months. Rutabaga flesh gets even more yellowish orange as it is cooked. 

One of my favourite ways to cook rutabagas. 

Maple Turnips or Rutabagas

4 large turnips or about 3 rutabagas                    1 tsp garlic grated or minced

3 tbsp local maple syrup                                                  2 tbsp butter or oil

1/2 tsp salt                              dash nutmeg and/or cinnamon and/or cloves

Peel and chop turnips into small pieces. Place in a saucepan and almost cover with water and boil until tender. Drain saving the water for soup stock if ambitious. Mash with the maple syrup, salt, butter and garlic and then sprinkle with nutmeg or cinnamon. Serve nice and warm.