Fun food facts
- When was the last time you saw a kid at school with rutabaga in his or her lunch bag? With rutabaga available year-round in Ontario, it’s a wonder we don’t eat it more often. So start a new trend. Try cubes of raw rutabaga in your lunch.
- There are all kinds of vegetables and fruits that grow right here in Ontario that give us vitamin C, and rutabaga is one of them. Now, that doesn’t mean you need to replace your morning orange juice with rutabaga juice, but it’s good to know that you can get vitamin C from more than just oranges.
Brain teaser
True or false: “Rutabaga” and “turnip” are used to describe the same vegetable.
Answer: False. Turnips are about the size of your fist and are mostly white. Rutabagas are about the size of your head and have a brownish peel that is usually covered in wax to keep it fresh.
Eat it up!
Creamy mashed rutabaga
If your family enjoys mashed potatoes, why not try mashed rutabaga for a change? Try ‘Creamy mashed rutabaga’.
Makes 4 servings.
Takes 10 minutes.
You’ll need an adult’s help.
You'll need:
- 1 small Ontario rutabaga (1/2 lb/250 g), cubed (4 cups/1 L)
- 1/4 cup (50 mL) water
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) cubed cream cheese
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp (1 mL) each of ground ginger and salt
- A pinch each of ground nutmeg and pepper
What to do:
- Cut 1 small Ontario rutabaga (1/2 lb/250 g) into cubes, about 4 cups/1 L./li)
- Cook covered, in 4 cup (1 L) casserole dish in 1/4 cup (50 mL) of water on high for 10 minutes or until fork tender; drain well and mash.
- Stir in 1/2 cup (125 mL) cubed cream cheese, 1 tbsp (15 mL) brown sugar, 1/4 tsp (1 mL) each of ground ginger and salt and a pinch each of ground nutmeg and pepper.