Turnips and swedes....

[wowsmom]

I'm in Southern California and I've never seen any of these show up on any menus. Occasionally I see turnips at the grocery store, but to see rutabagas or parsnips you'd have to go to a specialty produce market (Sprouts or Frazier Farms or something around here). You are much more likely to see produce that grows well in Mexico then produce that grows well in cold climates.
Around here our winter crops are chard, kale, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.
We had a CSA for a few years where we would get boxes of fresh produce from the local organic farm and I don't think we ever got any parsnips, rutabagas or turnips. I just don't think it's cold enough to grow them or they just aren't that popular.

I'm also in SoCal and I've bought parsnips at my local Ralph's a number of times. I'm not a huge fan of them, but fix them sometimes since DH likes them.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

people in Sweden loving turnips

Then there would have been a capital S as well as a capital T.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

Rutabagas

These sound much more appetising than turnips. I wish that I knew how to pronounce it. Rut-a-baa-gas? Any comments about the Welsh and sheep will be ignored.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

I am a Floridian

They were from Florida. They were talking very loudly. I wasn’t eavesdropping deliberately.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

What about what's referred to as winter squash?

Yes, we get all those. The home grown ones are much nicer than the shop bought ones.

 

[luvsJack]

These sound much more appetising than turnips. I wish that I knew how to pronounce it. Rut-a-baa-gas? Any comments about the Welsh and sheep will be ignored.

Not sure if they are pronounced the same all over but down here in the south, it’s Root-a-bega.

And they are very good. I boil them and add butter and brown sugar. I can only cook them when dh is joke though because I can’t cut the dang things up! Really hard!

 

[Sandeep1]

Then there would have been a capital S as well as a capital T.

I've seen much worse grammar than that on the Dis. Can't trust it. lol

 

[ronandannette]

These sound much more appetising than turnips. I wish that I knew how to pronounce it. Rut-a-baa-gas? Any comments about the Welsh and sheep will be ignored.

Root-ah-beg-ah

 

[NYCgrrl]

Roo ta bay gaas?

 

[1GoldenSun]

I looove parsnips! I like turnips and rutabaga too--never heard them called swedes.

Love winter squash too--all kinds. This thread is making me hungry.

 

[ronandannette]

I looove parsnips! I like turnips and rutabaga too--never heard them called swedes.

Love winter squash too--all kinds. This thread is making me hungry.

The power of suggestion is a force to be reckoned with. The closest thing I have on-hand is a bunch of radishes and I'm eating them right now!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

in the US turnips, swedes and parsnips are only used for pig fodder and not eaten by people. Is this true?

I can only report that my husband like to eat all of those - raw. Of course, he's originally from New York, so the "primarily the northern, cold weather area people eat those" theory seems to fit.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I can only report that my husband like to eat all of those - raw. Of course, he's originally from New York, so the "primarily the northern, cold weather area people eat those" theory seems to fit.

I can report that as a native NYCer I prefer them cooked but canna speak for DGD who also eats raw Brussels sprouts.
Guess there is something for everyone with roughage too .

 

[VandVsmama]

When I read the title/subject of this thread, I thought, "Well, my grandmother married a Swede and she made turnips for him all the time. I wonder if this is about how Swedes like turnips?"

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

I wonder if this is about how Swedes like turnips?

Well according to google (other search engines are available), swede, the vegetable, originated from Sweden too. In Scotland they call them ‘neeps’.

 

[amcnj]

I think they used to be more popular, maybe because they were a stable root crop that could be stored over winter. So guessing further, refrigeration and the ability to import crops from all over the world might have lessened their appeal, and usage.

Once in a while I see one on a restaurant menu, or someone serves one at a holiday meal. And people who tried them seemed to like them.

I remember there was a Green Acres tv show episode about rutabagas. They found out the soil in Hooterville was great for growing them, so then were trying to market them/encourage people to buy them. So maybe that means they had already gone out of favor by then, like fifty years ago.

 

[jsmla]

Turnips and rutabagas were staples of my childhood. Memaw grew what seemed like acres of them in her south Mississippi garden. We ate the tops of the turnips too. As a child I was not a fan!

 

[PollyannaMom]

I think they used to be more popular, maybe because they were a stable root crop that could be stored over winter. So guessing further, refrigeration and the ability to import crops from all over the world might have lessened their appeal, and usage.

This.

I rarely notice them in the grocery store here - except maybe in a bag of Terra Chips??? (which I do like)

 

[ronandannette]

This is a really interesting thread! These are such ubiquitous vegetables here; it’s fascinating to hear from those that aren’t familiar. I’d imagine there are things that are grown and eaten regularly in other parts that I’ve not had - things like okra and cooked greens come to mind.

 

[CdnCarrie]

Rutabagas, turnips, and parsnips are cold weather produce that I think come out of the ground close to Thanksgiving and thus are frequently found on the holiday table throughout New England, in the upper Midwest, and probably, at least NE Canada.
The growing season differs in warmer climes of the Southern areas of the US but the veggie is known as witnessed by the love of turnip greens there.

It is fed to both livestock and people in the US.

Very much here in the prairie provinces. I made parsnips for Sunday supper.