Alex Stratta at Uptown…

Tomorrow at the Uptown Farmers Market we are honored to have James Beard Award Winning Chef Alex Stratta from the Herb Box with us.   Chef Stratta will be sampling Gilfeather Rutabaga prepared with a ginger-numeric cream and Cara Cara oranges.

Tender and sweet, Gilfeather Rutabaga are traced back to John Gilfeather, a farmer in Vermont at the turn of the last century.  Gilfeather found that these unique rutabagas that are disguised to appear as turnips were something different.  They had a crisp texture and a sweetness that increased with early morning frost.  Gilfeather wanting to keep this secret to himself went to great lengths to keep the seeds from propagating by trimming the greens and roots.  After his death, neighbors went into his fields to take plants that they could grow for themselves.  To this day, Gilfeather Rutabaga seeds are difficult to come by, although their legend and flavor have inspired a following and even an annual festival where local chefs in Wardsboro, Vermont serve them in a variety of dishes from breads and cakes to soups and souffles.

Chef Charleen Badman from FnB first brought these to our attention six years ago, and we have been planting and harvesting Gilfeather Rutabagas ever since.  They are excellent grated into salads or mashed with potatoes, but my personal favorite is to roast them until their sweet flavor is caramelized.  Chef Badman offered up a recipe ages ago on the blog that you can find here.

Come by tomorrow at meet Chef Stratta and sample the Gilfeather Rutabaga for yourself.