Description
September – February
In a cool, slightly damp place out of direct sunlight (like a root cellar if you’re lucky enough to have one, or a box of slightly moist sand if you’re not) unwashed swedes will keep for several months. Avoid putting the ‘roots’ in the fridge, but the greens will chill for a couple of days.
Unlike most vegetables the colour of swede deepens with cooking. Most simply, top, tail and peel, cut into generous chunks then boil for 20 minutes and mash with butter and a little black pepper. The flesh has a tremendous capacity to absorb fat and increase in sweetness with slower cooking, making it ideal for roasting. There’s no need to parboil the chunks, in a medium oven they’ll be done in 40-50 minutes or if you’re doing a big roast just chuck them in with everything else.
