Rutabaga, Gilfeather Turnip

Quick facts 'Gilfeather' turnip rutabaga is the state vegetable of Vermont Heirloom from Vermont Softball-shaped like a round turnip Sweet Early addition to the Slow Food Art of Taste Brassica napus x rapa You read that right!  This is a turnip-rutabaga!  With the shape of a rutabaga and the white color of a turnip, this root is a rare cross between the two closely related species.  Root and greens are tender and sweet- becoming sweeter after exposure to frost.   'Gilfeather' turnip rutabaga is the state vegetable of Vermont and has a rich history.  Farmer John Gilfeather began bringing these sweet roots to market in Vermont in the early 1900s.  Gilfeather farm is still on Gilfeather road in Wardsboro, Vermont where the current owners still grow 'Gilfeather' each year.  Because the crop was so lucrative for John, he never revealed the crops origin.  The Friends of the Wardsboro Library believe that he crossed the two species himself- an interspecific hybrid.  Read more about the 'Gi