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Home / Seasonal Winter / Canning rutabaga

Canning rutabaga

Filed Under: Seasonal Winter, Vegetables Tagged With: Rutabaga

Canning Rutabaga 002

Rutabaga (aka “Swede”) is very similar to turnip, being just a few genes away. It is round, with an orangish flesh inside. In North American stores, it often has PLU code 4747, meaning apparently just “generic variety” of rutabaga. It is usually sold coated in food-grade wax to extend its shelf life.

Rutabaga can be pressure canned using the same canning directions as per turnip — with the same proviso, that it may become dark and very strong tasting to some people’s tastes. Note that this also depends on the cultivar of rutabaga.

Contents hide
  • 1 The recipe
  • 2 Canning rutabaga
    • 2.1 Ingredients
    • 2.2 Instructions
    • 2.3 Notes
    • 2.4 Nutrition
  • 3 Reference information
  • 4 Recipe notes
  • 5 Sources
  • 6 Nutrition
  • 7 Why is there a question mark hanging over canning rutabaga
  • 8 Pickling recipes for rutabaga

The recipe

Jar size choices: Either half-litre (1 US pint) OR 1 litre (1 US quart)

Processing method: Pressure canning only

Yield: varies

Headspace: 3 cm (1 inch)

Processing pressure: 10 lbs (69 kPa) weighted gauge, 11 lbs (76 kpa) dial gauge (adjust pressure for your altitude when over 300 metres / 1000 feet.)

Processing time: Half-litres (pints) 30 minutes; litres (quarts) 35 minutes.

Print

Canning rutabaga

Rutabaga can be pressure canned using the same canning directions as per turnip. Here we walk through the directions provided by So Easy To Preserve (which are the same as those provided by Ball and Bernardin.)
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword Rutabaga
Prep Time 1 hour hour
Cook Time 35 minutes minutes
Total Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes
Servings 1 varies
Calories 36kcal

Ingredients

  • rutabaga
  • water (boiling)
  • salt (optional)

Instructions

  • Wash rutabaga, then peel.
  • Cut into cubes or chunks 3 to 5 cm (1 to 2 inches).
  • Blanch the cubes in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Pack into jars leaving 3 cm (1 inch) headspace.
  • Top up with fresh boiling water leaving 3 cm (1 inch) headspace.
  • Season jar with a teaspoon or half-teaspoon of salt if desired.
  • Put lids on, put in pressure canner.
  • Processing pressure: 10 lbs (69 kPa) weighted gauge, 11 lbs (76 kpa) dial gauge (adjust pressure for your altitude when over 300 metres / 1000 feet.)
  • Processing time: half-litre (1 US pint) jars for 30 minutes. OR 1 litre (1 US quart) jars for 35 minutes.

Notes

The reason for washing the rutabaga before peeling is to reduce the bacterial level so that you don't drive bacteria into the flesh of the rutabaga while peeling.
After peeling the rutabaga, put two pots of water on: one to blanch the rutabaga in, and one to use for bottling water. You can of course boil the canning water in a kettle, instead.

Nutrition

Serving: 100g | Calories: 36kcal | Carbohydrates: 8.1g | Protein: 1.2g | Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 20mg | Potassium: 337mg | Fiber: 2.5g | Sugar: 5.6g

Reference information

How to pressure can.

When pressure canning, you must adjust the pressure for your altitude.

More information about Salt-Free Canning in general.

Recipe notes

Instead of the salt, you can use a non-bitter, non-clouding salt sub. We have found Herbamare Sodium-Free performs well in that regard.

Canning Rutabaga 006

Sources

Parsnips, Rutabagas, or Turnips. In: Ball Blue Book. Muncie, Indiana: Healthmark LLC / Jarden Home Brands. Edition 37. 2014. Page 114.

Turnip. In: Bernardin Guide to Home Preserving. Toronto, Canada: Bernardin Ltd. 2013. Page 104.

Root Vegetables. In: Kingry, Judi and Lauren Devine. Bernardin Complete Book of Home Preserving. Toronto, Canada: Robert Rose Inc. 2015. Page 393.

Turnips (Root) / Rutabaga. In: Andress, Elizabeth L. and Judy A. Harrison. So Easy to Preserve. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. Bulletin 989. Sixth Edition. 2014. Page 96.

Ball says to blanch for 3 minutes; So Easy to Preserve says to blanch for 5 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving size: 100 g (1 cup, cubes)

rutabaga nutrition

Per 100 g (1 cup): 36 calories

Weight Watchers PointsPlus®: 0 points regardless of quantity.

* Nutrition info provided by https://caloriecount.about.com

* PointsPlus™ calculated by healthycanning.com. Not endorsed by Weight Watchers® International, Inc, which is the owner of the PointsPlus® registered trademark.

Why is there a question mark hanging over canning rutabaga

Bernardin says, “Rutabagas can be canned…. but usually discolour and tend to develop a strong flavour.”  [1] Bernardin Guide to Home Preserving. Toronto, Canada: Bernardin Ltd. 2013. Page 104.

Ball repeats the same advice: “Rutabaga usually discolors when canned and may develop a strong flavor.”  [2] Ball Blue Book. Muncie, Indiana: Healthmark LLC / Jarden Home Brands. Edition 37. 2014. Page 114.

The Ball / Bernardin Complete Book says, “We don’t recommend canning rutabagas as they usually discolor and develop a strong flavor in the process.”  [3] Kingry, Judi and Lauren Devine. Bernardin Complete Book of Home Preserving. Toronto, Canada: Robert Rose Inc. 2015. Page 393.

So Easy to Preserve (2014, page 96) says, “Rutabagas may be canned by these directions [Ed: for turnip], but usually discolor and develop strong flavor when canned.”

It should be noted though that directions for canning rutabaga are maintained none-the-less, because it appears that a significant number of people either don’t mind or actively like the taste of home-canned rutabaga. The taste of home-canned rutabaga is certainly can be very nice as part of a squash mash.

Note as well that there may be different cultivars grown in different regions, which react different to canning.

Canning Rutabaga 004

Pickling recipes for rutabaga

Rutabaga can be water-bathed canned (or steam-canned) if it is part of a pickled, high-acid food product.

There is, however, only one such recipe that we know that is a tested recipe from a reputable source.

The recipe is Ploughman’s Pickle developed by Canadian Living.

There are many recipes out there from unofficial sources for pickled rutabaga strips, pickled diced rutabaga, pickled smoked rutabaga, etc.

But none of the recipes are lab-tested for safety, that we know of.

See also: Turnip

Canning Rutabaga 001

References[+]

References
↑1 Bernardin Guide to Home Preserving. Toronto, Canada: Bernardin Ltd. 2013. Page 104.
↑2 Ball Blue Book. Muncie, Indiana: Healthmark LLC / Jarden Home Brands. Edition 37. 2014. Page 114.
↑3 Kingry, Judi and Lauren Devine. Bernardin Complete Book of Home Preserving. Toronto, Canada: Robert Rose Inc. 2015. Page 393.
Tagged With: Rutabaga

Filed Under: Seasonal Winter, Vegetables Tagged With: Rutabaga

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bethie

    May 02, 2021 at 2:32 pm

    5 stars
    Thanks for all this info, I love your website. Can I use chicken stock instead of water to can swede/rutabaga? I reckon the flavour would be better… but don’t want to kill anyone!!

    Reply
    • Healthy Canning

      June 20, 2021 at 5:37 pm

      Sorry, we don’t have an answer to that. Try asking one of these Master Food Preserver groups.

      Reply
  2. Cathy

    October 24, 2018 at 1:17 pm

    Can you mash rutabagas before canning, and how long to can them and under what pressure?

    Reply
    • Healthy Canning

      September 11, 2019 at 4:15 pm

      No, do not mash before canning. Proper sterilization depends on heat being able to circulate between the pieces. Follow the directions above precisely. Mash upon opening and draining (you can freeze the canning water for use in soup, etc.)

      Reply
If you need FAST or relatively immediate canning help or answers, please try one of these Master Food Preserver groups; they are more qualified than we are and have many hands to help you. Many of them even operate telephone hotlines in season.

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