Sunday, March 30, 2014

Moving into the Winter Division Match-ups!

As the sweet sixteen are whittling down, we only have two more match-ups to complete the elite eight line-up.  Today we move into the Winter division with two of the farm favorites, Rutabaga versus Celeriac.

On the 'Like' side, we have the humble Rutabaga, known to many as “Grandma’s Favorite Vegetable.” Mmm, I can still smell Grandma’s Shepard’s pie with mashed rutabaga topping!  Farmer Richard is a fan of mashed rutabagas, simply cooked until tender and mashed with a little cream and butter.  We leave them in the field until they get a light frost to make them sweet and tasty.  They are a very solid vegetable and store well for a very long time to sustain us through a long Midwestern winter.




On the 'Share' side, we have the gnarly looking, but great tasting Celeriac (aka celery root).  Many people are intimidated by the outward appearance of celeriac with it’s bumpy peeling and knobby root base.  Don’t be intimated….celeriac is actually a very gentle vegetable and will serve you well in soups, stews, salads, and warm creamy gratins.  With its mild, sophisticated flavor and creamy white flesh, it seldom steals center stage.  Celeriac prefers to stay in the background offering subtlety to dishes and taking its role as a supporting actor very seriously.  Similar to the rutabaga, celeriac is known for its long storage potential to bridge the long gap between winter and spring.


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