Swede "Saharnaya Golova" (rutabaga)

Rutabaga "Sugarloaf" (Swedish turnip).
Well adapted to growing in northern conditions. Excellent storage.
Mid-season variety. The period from full germination to the beginning of technical ripeness is 85-90 days. The rosette of leaves is semi-erect. The root vegetable is round in shape, with a strong anthocyanin colouring of the peel, weighing 300-400 g. The pulp is yellow, juicy, tender. Productivity 4-4.5 kg/m2.
The root vegetable is low-calorie, contains fiber, pectin, easily digestible carbohydrates, vegetable protein and fats, represented by mustard oil, and is rich in microelements (phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, potassium, iron, especially a lot of calcium). There are many B vitamins, vitamin PP, E, A and beta-carotene, and there is more vitamin C than in cabbage, carrots, beets and some citrus fruits. An amazing feature of this vegetable is that during culinary processing the beneficial substances are practically not destroyed.
Sowing: in early May, seeds into the ground to a depth of 1.5 cm according to the 5x45 pattern. (1,0 g = 300-350 seeds).
The best soils are light loams, slightly acidic soils rich in humus. When sowing, observe crop rotation. The best temperature for growth and development is +15+18°C.
Care: thinning to a distance of 15-20 cm, watering, loosening row spacing.
Harvesting: at the end of August - beginning of September, cutting off the tops.
Outwardly, it resembles a turnip, but the taste differs favorably from it - sweet and without bitterness. It contains more vitamin C than cabbage, beets or carrots. In addition, this vitamin in rutabaga remains until spring.
For medicinal purposes, juice is taken from root vegetables. It is effective as an expectorant and diuretic. Rutabaga is useful for atherosclerosis and constipation, and its pulp is used for poorly healing wounds and ulcers.

* Rutabaga is a cold-resistant plant. Seeds begin to germinate at +3..+5°C, and the optimum temperature is +16..+18°C. Leaves and roots form quickly in moderately warm weather.
Rutabaga is demanding high soil moisture, it does not tolerate both prolonged waterlogging and a strong lack of moisture.
Ridges with any relief are suitable for swede, even with a northern slope, but better with a flat surface. Carrots, beets, and potatoes are considered the best predecessors; plots from under cabbage, turnips, radishes, and radishes are of little use.
Rutabaga is grown by sowing seeds and seedlings, which provides accelerated production for 25-30 days. For seedlings, seeds are sown sparsely under film shelters from the second half of April. The soil for rutabaga is prepared in the same way as for other vegetable crops. Organic fertilizers are best applied under the predecessor, mineral fertilizers give an average of 150-180 g per 1 sq. m of potash and 90-120 g of nitrogen and phosphorus.
Seeds are sown or seedlings are planted in rows with a row spacing of 40-45 cm and between plants 18-20 cm.
Plant care consists of regular watering, and loosening, especially during the emergence of seedlings, to prevent the formation of a soil crust. In the phase of 2-3 true leaves, with a seedless method, the plants are thinned out, leaving the best of them at a distance of 7-8 cm at first, and then finally - up to 18-20 cm. And, of course, weeding, protection from cruciferous fleas and other pests.
For early consumption, swede is harvested 2-3 times selectively after the formation of root crops 8-10 cm in size.
The late harvest is harvested before the onset of cool weather - in September and October, but always before the onset of frost, in dry weather. After cooling, the root crops are placed in cellars or cellars and stored in the same way as beets. The optimum storage temperature in winter is +1..+2°С.
Harvesting and storage.
For summer use, plants are harvested selectively, as roots form, reaching a diameter of 5-7 cm, which occurs approximately 40-50 days after transplanting. In this phase, they already have good taste, are quite nutritious, and contain more vitamin C.
Root crops intended for use in autumn and winter are harvested at one time, at the end of the growing season, in such a way as to prevent them from freezing. Harvesting should be done in sunny, dry weather.
The table turnip is easily pulled out of the soil. In healthy plants, the leaves are immediately cut short (to a height of about 1 cm). Through them, significant evaporation of moisture occurs, and uncircumcised root crops quickly lose weight and juiciness. At the same time, the axial root is cut at a distance of about 1 cm from the bottom of the root crop. At the same time, root crops are sorted into economically viable and defective. Plants with a thick overgrown head and a large number of thick lateral roots are classified as non-marketable, as they have coarser flesh and worse taste than standard ones.
During harvesting, cleaning root crops from the ground, and storing them for storage, turnips should be handled carefully: do not hit them against each other and against hard objects to shake off the ground, do not throw, do not damage - all this will adversely affect the safety of root crops in winter.
Root crops are stored in individual gardens in basements, and caissons at a temperature of 0 + 1 ° C (it is allowed to lower the temperature to -0.5-1 ° C) and humidity in the range of 90-95%. It is possible to keep swede well in pits with a narrowed bottom, which can be dug on the site, provided that the ground is high and there is no flood water. Rutabaga is loaded into them when the earth in the upper layer cools down to + 5 + 7 ° С.
The use of swede in medicine.
For medicinal purposes, swede is consumed both raw and after steaming in the oven or on a Russian stove. Rutabaga is advisable to use to enhance intestinal motility with constipation. In this case, it is recommended to consume 100-150 g of finely chopped raw swede or 250 g of boiled mashed potatoes 2-3 times a week. For therapeutic purposes, they drink a third glass of juice three times a day, preparing it each time before drinking. It is especially effective as an expectorant and diuretic. Juice is used to treat burns and pustular skin diseases. Since rutabaga juice has a specific taste, to improve its taste, it is advisable to add a little juice from currants, raspberries, and cranberries to it.
In folk medicine, swede in the form of gruel is used for poorly healing wounds and ulcers. Seeds ground in water can be given to children with measles, they are gargled with a throat and mouth for disinfection. It should be borne in mind that swede should be used with caution in inflammatory diseases of the stomach and intestines, as well as in renal inflammation. With frequent and abundant use of swede, gas formation in the intestine increases.

Eng.: Swedish turnip, Swede, Rutabaga. Bot.: Brassica napus L. convar. napobrassica.