My earlier sowing of swedes grew so well with the cooler wetter conditions earlier in the year they are now hoooooge! I'm trying to use the biggie ones up as I don't think they will be that nice later on.
Picked one yesterday, variety is Tweed and once trimmed it weighed just a tad over 8lbs!
Lucky they keep fairly well in the fridge and I'm going to try some in a swede soup. Can you freeze them?
We freeze the small summer ones Jayb- cannot see why not!
Swede soup- soon be airborne!!!
When they get big I sometimes peel quite a bit off them, there is a fibrous inner which is a bit tough, and then get to the nice and tender bit on the inside.
Freezing swedes makes them sweeter - that's why they taste better after they get a bit of frost in the ground. The starch magically changes to glucose! Someone told me I could freeze plums the other day - that was a new one on me!
I wish mine were that size I seem to have loads of foliage but small roots! Too much nitrogen perhaps. Still, it's only the beginning of September with a long way to go!
If you freeze plums the skin goes a bit tougher Big Gee- putting sugar on first counteracts this (no idea why) but of course we do not always want extra sugar/ calories!
Does freezing Brussels and parsnips have the same effect do you know- I often wondered but usually just wait for a frost?
Good to hear Pumpkinlover, luckily they are still lovely and tender, but not sure for how long. Do they taste good out of the freezer?
Quote from: pumpkinlover on September 06, 2013, 12:49:21
Swede soup- soon be airborne!!!
Lol I'll wave as I fly past :tongue3:
But does the freezing swedes once they are picked and cut up affect their taste in the same way as when they are growing?
It's been a good year for swede here. Started them off in feb in pots, transplanted in march into trench filled with mushroom compost, biggest swede we've ever grown. Some are now stored in damp compost in the garage, some made into stew and the smallest left to get bigger :toothy10:
Not sure about the taste change -this is partly due to a local "sheffieldism" where we call the summer vegetable a swede and the winter one a turnip. Apparently this is the reverse of most people. Therefore I could be talking about something different! Also I tend to mash with carrots or put in a stew or casserole to absorb other tastes!
Quote from: pumpkinlover on September 07, 2013, 07:57:47
Not sure about the taste change -this is partly due to a local "sheffieldism" where we call the summer vegetable a swede and the winter one a turnip. Apparently this is the reverse of most people. Therefore I could be talking about something different! Also I tend to mash with carrots or put in a stew or casserole to absorb other tastes!
Swedes are actually turnips. Apparently the 'Swede' is a variety of turnip originally bred in Sweden (no prizes for guessing how it got it's popular name). It's orange fleshed & sweeter tasting than the white fleshed varieties of turnip.
Originally referred to as Swedish turnip the name got shortened over time to "Swede". Interestingly my wife, sho's a Scouser calls swede turnip (as is the wont up there on Merseyside). They refer to the mixture of carrot & swede as "carrot & turnip" it's been the ongoing source of debate in our house for many decades! She still insists on asking for turnip when she's shopping for swede down here in Wales!
My swedes have done well this year too, I planted mine out in April (marian) and they are the biggest ones I've grown, the weather this year must suit them!
Big Gee- say Hi to your missus from me :wave:
We know what we mean! :toothy10:
Quote from: pumpkinlover on September 07, 2013, 13:10:34
Big Gee- say Hi to your missus from me :wave:
We know what we mean! :toothy10:
(http://gardenerschat-shed.net/pics/smily/LOL.gif)
Yeah - deffo kidder! I'll tell de auld bird!
She always tells people who ask how she got to live in Wales that she was caught & kidnapped by a Welshman!
I'm well jel, as my granddaughter would say. I have NEVER had success with swedes no matter which variety I try. I've had my plot for over 5 years and again, this year, a failure. Leaves have all been eaten away and my roots are thin not round and dumpy. HELP!!
TEYman