Interesting Trivia: Rutabagas are a cruciferous vegetable that is a hybrid cross between turnips and cabbage developed in the 17th century. They are grown for their roots. Their leaves are generally not eaten. The peak season for rutabagas is September to June but they are otherwise available all year round. Rutabagas are often mistaken for turnips but rutabagas are larger, rounder, sweeter, drier, denser, and less pungent than turnips. The flesh of their root bulb is yellow and it turns a bright orange when it is cooked. Rutabaga gets its name from the Swedish word “Rotabagge “which translates to, “round root”. In the U.S. the annual per capita consumption of Rutabagas is less than one pound and to raise Americans awareness of the vegetable September was named national rutabaga month.

Selection Tips: Look for bulbs that are heavy for their size and firm. Avoid lightweight, soft, or bumpy. They can be stored unwrapped (they are usually dipped in wax or paraffin) in a cool, dry, dark place for a couple of month. Stored in the refrigerator or at room temperature, they will last for about up to a week.

Classic Uses: Rutabagas can be prepared in most any way that you would prepare turnips or potatoes. Be mindful to cut or peel off the wax coating and thin layer of skin before cooking them. They are often boiled then mashed or pureed. They can be roasted, steamed, boiled, baked, sautéed and fried.
Other Inspirational Ideas: Rutabaga can also be used raw. Grate them into salads or cut them very thinly and serve them as dipping crudités with dips. For a change of pace, use rutabagas instead of potatoes to make cottage fries for breakfast. Place a thin slice or two of rutabaga on a tuna salad sandwich, or mix some rutabaga chunks into your next soup, stew, or casserole for the last 20 minutes of cooking.

Interesting Trivia: Most Americans are not familiar with the glorious celery root. This past spring when we asked a few different farmers at the Farmer’s Market if they would have any celery root (also called celeriac or celery knob) this season, they all looked back at us dumbfounded and responded with, “What is a celery root or celeriac”? Therefore, if our farmer’s are not particularly familiar with them, it is not a surprise that most folks just naively pass the celery root up when they are available at their local supermarket. Furthermore, poor sales certainly do not incentivize wide spread amounts of farmer’s to get more educated about them! This is all so unfortunate because celeriac is truly a wonderful vegetable. The French know this – but it seems it requires a major media marketing campaign to get Americans to try something unfamiliar in the culinary department! Unfortunately, the celeriac growers of America have yet to do so.
Celeriac is not a very attractive vegetable – on the outside. It looks like a knobby, hairy, and woody-skinned bulb – somewhat like a coconut, with a cluster of scrawny stems on one end and some stringy roots on the other. However, on the inside hides a white, crisp, creamy flesh with a taste and aroma of celery and parsley and the smoothness of potatoes. Once you peel away the skin and trim any knobs, it can be used raw or cooked in many culinary applications. Raw celeriac will discolor upon oxidation so dip cut pieces in a bowl of acidified water (3 tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar per 32 ounces of water) prior to using it in raw applications. Celeriac is in season from October to April and is a lovely ingredient for fall and winter season salads, vegetables, soups, stews or side dishes.

Storage Tips:Select celeriac roots that are on the smaller to medium side – they range from the size of an orange up to a coconut or small melon. Look for firm bulbs that are free of soft spots and have stem tops that are green and fresh looking. They should feel heavy for their size. Large and light feeling bulbs will tend to be older and pithy in texture. Grocers will often trim off the bulb’s root ends, but if you find some intact they will look like tentacles. Trim them off when you bring the bulb home and store it (uncut, unwashed and in a plastic bag) in your refrigerator for up to several weeks
Classic Uses: Grate celeriac and mixed it into salads, or julienned and marinated it with vinaigrette dressing and serve it as a hors d’oeuvre. Cook chunks of Celeriac in soups and stews and it is excellent mashed with potatoes.

Other Inspirational Ideas: Add diced or grated celeriac to egg salad. Toss hot steamed celeriac slices with butter and then sprinkle it with fresh chopped tarragon. Garnish a glass of tomato juice cocktail with a baton (stick or rod) of celeriac. Celeriac also pairs well with dill weed or try pickling it – it creates a refreshing and interesting tasting pickle.

Interesting Trivia:Squash are members of the gourd family and are by botanical definition classified as a fruit because they are neither a root, stalk, or leaf of a plant. There are two kinds of squash – summer squash and winter squash. Winter squash are grown in the fall and are at their best during the fall through the winter months. Summer squash are grown in the summer and they are eaten immature when they have tender skin, edible seeds, and moist, tender flesh. Winter squash are eaten fully mature and thus have a hard, thick skin, tough seeds and flesh that are drier and firmer then summer squash. Unlike with summer squash, we do not eat the skin of winter squash but rather just eat the flesh and sometimes – the seeds.
Squash are members of the gourd family that are native to the Americas. Cucumbers and melons are also members of gourd family but they are native to the Africa and Eurasia (the old world).
Winter squash varieties differ greatly in color, size, and shapes. The most common varieties include Pumpkin, Acorn, Butternut, Hubbard, Spaghetti and Turban. Newer to the market varieties include Kabocha (Japanese), the super–sweet Delicata, and Sweet Dumpling.
The peak season for winter squash is from September to March but many kinds are available throughout the year – thanks to the longevity of their great shelf.
Acorn squash is the smallest of the winter squash varieties – averaging in at around two pounds, and the largest winter squash variety is the pumpkin that can grow to as large as several hundred pounds! (You might even recall reading a local article about a 400-pound freak pumpkin shown at your local county fair at some point in the past.)

Selection Tips:Choose winter squash that are heavy for their size and have hard, thick skin. Avoid squash the looks to be drying out, bruised, or soft in spots. Gourds tend to rot from the inside out so if any rotten spots are evident on the outside of a winter squash, the insides are sure to be worse for the wear. Usually, larger squash such as Hubbard and Banana squash are sold cut into smaller pieces. Purchase pieces that look bright orange in color and have thick flesh. Smaller squash make for better eats and larger squash are best for carving Jack-O-lanterns or using as serving bowls.
Classic Uses: A common way of preparing winter squash is to halve or quarter it, remove the seeds, add butter – salt and pepper, or cinnamon and sugar, or a stuffing of some sort, and then bake it until tender. Cook squash is pureed it to made custards, soufflés or pie fillings or it is sautéed with various accompaniments such as bacon, beans and greens. Spaghetti squash is used as a healthy alternative to wheat pasta and Butternut, Hubbard, Pumpkin, Turban and Acorn squash can all make great soup.

Other Inspirational Ideas: Make a squash vase: Trim off one end off a squash (a Delicata, Butternut, or elongated shaped squash is idea) then trim a small slice off the opposite end of the squash to create a flat base – but do not cut too far down from the tip or you will cut into the seed cavity. Make a lengthwise cavity in the squash to create a tube that is open on one side. Set the squash upright on a decorative plate and fill the squash with wild fall flowers and some water. Use as a natural center piece for you table.

Interesting Trivia: Brussels sprouts were originally cultivated in the 13th century near Brussels Belgium – hence, their given name. They are available all year round but are at their peak season from September to February. Brussels sprouts are a member of the super-food cabbage family and therefore they are also packed with glucosinolates (cancer-fighting phytochemicals). They contain excellent amounts of folic acid, vitamin K, C, and the powerful anti-oxidant beta-carotene.
People seem to either love or hate eating this vegetable but most agree that they are cute to look at and not a surprise to see on the table at Holiday Feasts.
Brussels sprouts grow on stalks and 20 to 40 of the miniature cabbage-looking buds (or sprouts) dot the length of each stalk. The sprouts mature in the order from the bottom of the stalk on up to the top. Therefore, harvesting is a continuous and gradual process that is spread out over the span of a couple of months. Less mature sprouts tend to sweeter and more delicate in flavor then older and larger sprouts. However, a frost on plants just before harvest tends to make the sprouts (of any size) softer and sweeter. This explains why Californian Brussels sprouts are usually not as sweet as Brussels sprouts grown in less temperate areas of the country.

Selection Tips: Look for small, firm and compact Brussels sprouts. Their color should be bright green with no signs of yellowing. They should feel heavy for their size and be free of spots and blemishes.

Classic Uses: Steam Brussels sprouts and toss them with sliced roasted chestnuts, or serve them in their prime with a simple seasoning of salt, pepper, butter and a squeeze of lemon. Lightly cook, chill, and then use Brussels sprouts in salad and appetizer preparations and pickle or marinated them to serve them as condiments.

Other Inspirational Ideas: : Quarter Brussels sprouts and add them to your next stir-fry mix. Shave them and mix them into a can of cream of potato soup before heating. Slice raw Brussels sprouts thinly and lay them out flat between layers of vegetable lasagna. Blanch and chill them and serve them on vegetable crudités and dip. Thread them on skewers, dip them into tempura batter and deep fry them.