Farmers Market Report: Give the Rutabaga a Chance

A visit to the year-round West Seattle Farmers Market this week may inspire you to sample a root vegetable that has gotten a bad name over the years--the swede, more commonly known as the rutabaga.

A cross between a cabbage and a turnip, the rutabaga fell out of popularity after World War I, when many Europeans subsisted on a diet of rutabagas and not much else; but perhaps the versatile root vegetable deserves another look. It's a delicious addition to soups and stews, or can be served baked or mashed. Other Famers Market finds this week include fresh Shigoku oysters, leeks, onions, and Romanesco cauliflower, which has a light nutty flavor and can be easily spotted by its beautiful pointed cone-like spirals.

These three Farmers Markets are working it year round:

On Saturdays
U District Market, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.    
Vashon Island Market, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

On Sundays
Ballard Farmers Market, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
West Seattle Farmers Market, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

For a run-down of all markets, by day and county throughout Puget Sound, check PugetSoundFresh.org.

For more food-related events, wine dinners, and the like, check the Food Events calendar, here.