60
Escarpment Magazine Harvest & Holiday 2013
EPICURE
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dig up your roots
Both
rutabagas and turnips are members of the mustard family. All
turnips have a snowy white flesh. The differences in varieties mostly in-
volve outside colouring and size. Some have reddish rings around the
crown of the vegetable, others purple. Flavours are essentially the same
although larger turnips (3 or more inches in diameter) which appear
later in theWinter tend to be more pungent than the smaller turnips that
appear earlier in the season.
Instead of white flesh, rutabagas have a yellow-orange flesh that, like
yellow-flesh potatoes, give an impression of richness or butteriness.
They’re also sweeter and denser than turnips with less moisture. On the
outside rutabagas are half yellow-orange, while the other half is bur-
gundy or purple. To increase their shelf life, most rutabagas are waxed.
Commercially available rutabagas tend to be larger than turnips.
It’s no coincidence that the parsnip resembles a carrot that has seen a
ghost. The pale yellow parsnip and the carrot are in the same family.
Parsnips, however, are more irregular in shape though they generally
follow the same carrot tapered look with lengths varying from 5 to 10
inches. Some have likened them to sweet potatoes, but I think parsnips
have a taste all their own, somewhat starchy like a potato, sweet like a
carrot and a little nutty as well.
SELECTION, HANDLING & STORAGE...
Select small to medium
turnips that are heavy for their size (indicating good moisture content),
with good colour and firmness and no bruises, soft spots or shriveling.
The stem end may be somewhat flattened. Winter turnips may be larger
with tougher skin, so choose carefully during that time of the year. If
greens are attached, they should be bright and fresh looking. Turnip
greens are nutritious and delicious. Remove them immediately if they
come attached to the turnips and store them separately in plastic bags.
They’ll last 3 or 4 days.
Rutabagas should be medium-size, about 4 to 5 inches across, because
exceptionally large ones can be a bit much to handle. And they should
be heavy for their size. Lighter ones may be woody. The wax on the sur-
face of some is merely applied to prolong shelf life.
Turnips and rutabagas like cold (as low as 32 degrees) and moist sur-
roundings. In plastic bags in the refrigerator, turnips will last as long as
2 weeks. If waxed, rutabagas need not be in plastic.
They’ll last even longer,
up to 2 months under proper
conditions.
Choose parsnips that are firm with a good
creamy colour and no spots, blemishes, cuts or cracks.
They should have a good, uniform shape (about 4 to 5 inches long)
and should not be limp or shriveled. Avoid those that are particularly
large since they may be woody, and those that are particularly small
since they are not as economical and require more preparation time.
Parsnips like cool temperatures. Store them in plastic bags in the refrig-
erator and they’ll last up to 2 weeks.
PREPARATION...
Turnips are normally peeled before being used, but
if the turnips are small and young and the skin is thin, treat them like a
potato and roast them unpeeled after a good scrub.
In other ways you can treat turnips like potatoes. For example, quarter,
then roast or steam them. Or boil and mash them. Rutabagas likewise,
except I think they are superior to turnips mashed. But before any cook-
ing you’ll need a sturdy vegetable peeler (like the ones with fat handles)
to get through the wax and skin of rutabagas.
Seasonings for turnips include garlic, parsley, and dill. For rutabagas,
seasonings lean more toward those used for sweet potatoes - nutmeg,
cinnamon, allspice, and mace.
Parsnips are usually peeled, unless you get your hands on a particularly
pristine organic bunch. Although James Beard said he rarely peeled
parsnips, preferring just to scrub them before cooking. Parsnips roast
well accompanied by carrots and perhaps turnips and rutabagas. They
puree marvelously with potatoes or other root vegetables. Steaming
and microwaving are also good ideas. And don’t overlook the possi-
bility of sautéing small chunks, slices or julienne strips of parsnips.
Carrot seasonings are appropriate for parsnips. That means nutmeg,
parsley, dill, and orange flavouring. Roasted garlic turned nutty and
sweet is also a good addition.
*
easy
goodness
