From Jeff Cox

If you missed the story in our OrganicToBe Food News last week, results of a four-year European Union study on the benefits of organic food suggest that fruit, vegetables, and milk are more nutritious than non-organically produced food and may contain higher concentrations of cancer fighting and heart beneficial antioxidants, according to Medical News Today.

The results suggest that eating organic food is equivalent to eating an extra portion of fruit and vegetables a day, according to the researchers.

Early results of the study show that organic fruit and vegetables have up to 40 per cent more antioxidants than non-organically grown produce. Even greater contrasts were found for milk, with organic milk containing up to 60 per cent more antioxidants and healthy fatty acids.

The study was conducted at Newcastle University in the UK where researchers raised cattle and grew fruit and vegetables on 725 acres of organic and non-organic farms situated next to each other. The research project is called the Quality Low Input Food (QLIF) project, is funded by the EU, and is the biggest ever to research the pros and cons of organic farming and food.

The study’s findings contradict advice by the UK government’s Food Standards Agency which states that organic produce is no healthier than non-organically produced food. The same claims are made in the United States.

The Delicious… Rutabaga?

The much-maligned rutabaga—isn’t that the purplish-and-dun-colored, wax-covered lump in the supermarket bin? Isn’t it fare for a purgatorial meal of rutabagas and lutefisk? Don’t the Scots traditionally serve “bashed neeps” with their hideous haggis, and isn’t neeps short for tur-neeps, or turnips, by which they mean rutabagas? Well, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes. But!

If you’ve ever pulled a rutabaga root fresh from a soil pocked with ice needles and taken it into the house to use immediately, you’ll have noticed that when raw, it has a flavor similar to turnips—to which it’s a close cousin—but milder, a pretty sweetness, and an earthy, fresh flavor… something akin to a mild radish with nuances of cabbage. With a few weeks’ storage in the fridge’s vegetable crisper or a cold cellar, it will become even more pleasant and sweet.

Before refrigeration, rutabagas were prized, especially in northern Europe and the colder regions of North America, because they kept so well in a root cellar overwinter. The English, in fact, call rutabagas “swedes,” with a lower case s. And indeed the name rutabaga comes from the Swedish “rotabagge,” which means red bags—but why the Swedes call a brown or purplish and tan vegetable a “red bag,” I have no idea.

Rutabagas have a rare quality—their color deepens slightly when cooked. But they don’t need to be cooked. Try julienned rutabaga when serving crudites—but don’t tell anyone what they are. Their sweet and mildly radishlike crunchiness will win converts. Then you can tell people they’re rutabagas and be met with raised eyebrows and—guaranteed—someone will say, “Really?” They can also be marinated in red wine vinegar to give them a tangy nuance. Or grate them raw into salads. They have a firm but smooth texture raw.

I also will sometimes make a fall root vegetable medley to go around a pork roast. Dice into small cubes a rutabaga, parsnip, turnip, celery root, a carrot or two, even a potato, and toss with just a little oil, salt, and pepper; then roast the mix in a thin layer on a baking sheet in a 350 F. oven, stirring occasionally, until the surfaces are chewy-crisp and the insides of the cubes are tender, about 40 minutes or so. Spoon these roasted root vegetables around the roast on a serving platter with sprigs of parsley for garnish.

Along with parsnips, I’ll toss a rutabaga, peeled and cut into quarters, into a beef or lamb stew. And the root can be microwaved or steamed until tender, then pureed in the blender and added to soups to thicken them.

Here’s a recipe for the Scots’ “Bashed Neeps.” It’s a delicious dish that brings together flavors that harmonize with rutabagas. The scent of this dish is alluring, the flavor truly incomparable. In the finished dish, the rutabagas lose their radishy flavor but acquire a bit of spicy heat.

Organic Bashed Neeps Recipe

2 organic rutabagas
¾ cup non-fat organic yogurt
2 Tbl. unsalted butter
1 Tbl. fresh thyme
1 tsp. dried Herbs d’Provence (rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano)
1 Tbl. freshly ground nutmeg
½ tsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Peel and cut rutabagas into eighths and steam them until tender, approximately 30 minutes. Add more water as necessary to avoid boiling away the steam water. Turn the finished rutabagas into a sturdy warmed bowl. Add all the other ingredients and mash with a potato masher. Serves 3 or 4.
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Please also see:
Haggis with Bashed Neeps and Champit Tatties recipe
More Rutabaga (Swede) recipes from the UK

Jeff Cox is author of The Organic Cook’s Bible and lives in Sonoma County, California.
Image Credit: Restaurant Widow
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