Today I'm writing about a vegetable, of all things... with poetry included. Come along if you dare.
Confession: I've become somewhat smitten with rutabagas. I know... what a world!?!
What is a rutabaga? A root vegetable that is an unlikely cross between cabbage and turnip.
Rutabagas are sometimes called swedes because they originated in Sweden and are popular in Scandinavia. Maybe because of our scandinavian background, or maybe because I like vegetables in general, every once in a while I give rutabagas a try.
Reactions to a Rutabaga
You need a huge strong knife
to cleave this brute in two
hard work!
peel and dice
cook until tender
patience!
extra texture
mellow cabbage flavor
a bright star in your stew
--draft, Karen Eastlund
All this rutabaga talk because recently I came across this poem about rutabagas and if felt perfect. Here are a few lines with the link to the entire poem below:
...
Rutabagas were on the table.
I had to ask Jean what they were.
My first mouthful tasted
like something in a gunny sack;
...
She said she loved their dug-up texture
the hint of dirt
that couldn't be washed away,
how they left the tongue
with a rumor of something
underground and dark.
....
Read the entire poem HERE.
