How To Store Rutabaga

You’ve brought home a beautiful rutabaga from the market or your garden, and now you need to know how to store rutabaga for the long haul. Getting your storage method right means you can enjoy this sweet, earthy root vegetable for months, reducing waste and saving money. This guide gives you simple, proven methods to keep your rutabagas fresh and tasty.

Whether you have one rutabaga or a whole harvest, the principles are the same. It’s all about controlling temperature, humidity, and air flow. With a little prep, you can have a supply of rutabagas ready for soups, stews, mashes, and roasts all winter long. Let’s get started.

Long-term storage for rutabagas is easier than you might think. These hardy vegetables are built to last. The key is mimicking the cool, moist conditions of the ground they grow in. When stored properly, rutabagas can remain in excellent condition for 3 to 4 months, sometimes even longer.

Preparing Your Rutabagas for Storage

Good storage begins with good preparation. You can’t just toss them into a bin and hope for the best. Taking a few minutes to prep your rutabagas correctly makes all the difference for their shelf life.

Harvest or Select Carefully: If you’re harvesting from your garden, do so after a light frost for sweeter flavor, but before a hard freeze. Choose firm, smooth rutabagas without soft spots, cracks, or major cuts. At the store, apply the same rules.
Clean Gently: Brush off any loose, caked-on dirt with your hands or a soft brush. Do not wash them with water. Moisture on the skin can lead to rot during storage. You want them dry.
Trim the Tops: If your rutabagas still have greens attached, twist or cut them off. Leave about half an inch of the stem. The greens draw moisture out of the root, causing it to wilt faster.
Cure if Needed: If you harvested them yourself or they seem at all damp, let them cure in a cool, dry, well-ventilated spot (like a garage) for a few days. This helps the skin toughen up.

Ideal Storage Conditions: The Goldilocks Zone

Rutabagas need a very specific environment to stay dormant and fresh. Stray too far from these conditions, and they’ll either sprout, rot, or become rubbery.

Temperature: The perfect range is between 32°F and 40°F (0°C and 4°C). This is just above freezing. A cold cellar is ideal, but many alternatives exist.
Humidity: They need high humidity, around 90-95%. This prevents them from drying out and becoming shriveled.
Darkness: Light causes them to turn green and sprout. Total darkness is best.
Air Flow: Some gentle air circulation helps prevent mold and rot. Stagnant, damp air is the enemy.

Best Long-Term Storage Methods

Now, let’s look at the practical ways you can create those ideal conditions in your own home. Not everyone has a root cellar, but you likely have a good option available.

1. In a Perforated Plastic Bag in the Crisper Drawer

This is the best method for most home refrigerators. The crisper drawer provides cold temps and higher humidity than the rest of the fridge.

Take a plastic produce bag and poke a few small holes in it for ventilation.
Place your prepared rutabagas inside the bag.
Loosely fold over the top; don’t seal it tight.
Place the bag in your refrigerator’s crisper drawer.

Stored this way, rutabagas can last 2 to 4 months. Check them occasionally for any signs of spoilage.

2. In a Root Cellar or Cold Basement

If you have access to a space that stays consistently cold (but not freezing) and humid, this is the traditional and excellent method.

Find a wooden box, plastic bin, or even a sturdy cardboard box.
Line the bottom with slightly damp (not wet) peat moss, sand, or sawdust.
Place a layer of rutabagas on top, making sure they don’t touch each other.
Cover them completely with more of your damp medium.
You can add additional layers, always separating the roots.
Store the box in your cellar or basement. The medium maintains humidity and insulates against temperature swings.

3. In an Outdoor Storage Mound (Clamp)

Gardeners have used this method for centuries to store large harvests without a cellar. It’s a bit more work but very effective.

Choose a well-drained spot in your garden.
Mound up a layer of straw or leaves.
Pile your rutabagas into a cone or mound shape.
Cover them completely with more straw, then a thick layer of soil (about 6 inches). Leave a small bunch of straw poking out the top for ventilation.
The mound protects them from freezing. You can dig into it throughout the winter to retreive your vegetables.

What NOT to Do: Common Storage Mistakes

Avoiding these errors is just as important as following the right steps.

Don’t store near ethylene-producing fruits: Keep rutabagas away from apples, pears, and bananas. Ethylene gas will make them sprout and taste bitter.
Don’t use airtight containers: Sealed plastic containers trap moisture and prevent air flow, leading to mold.
Don’t store in a warm kitchen: Room temperature will cause them to soften and sprout withing just a week or two.
Don’t wash before storing: We mentioned it, but it’s worth repeating. Always store them dry.

Checking on Your Stored Rutabagas

Even in perfect storage, you should check your rutabagas every few weeks. Look for any that have started to soften, develop mold, or shrivel excessively. Remove these immediately to prevent the problem from spreading to the others. One bad rutabaga can spoil the whole bunch, as the saying goes.

How to Prepare Stored Rutabagas for Eating

When you’re ready to use your rutabaga, preparation is simple. Give it a good scrub under running water to remove any storage medium or residual dirt. You can peel it with a sturdy vegetable peeler or a knife—the wax coating sometimes applied to store-bought rutabagas needs to be removed. The flesh inside should still be firm and vibrant yellow-orange.

Can You Freeze Rutabaga?

Yes, but only if you cook it first. Freezing raw rutabaga ruins its texture, making it mushy and grainy. To freeze:

Peel and cube the rutabaga.
Boil or steam until just tender (about 10-15 minutes).
Drain well and let cool completely.
Spread the cubes on a baking sheet to flash-freeze for an hour, then transfer to airtight freezer bags.
Frozen, cooked rutabaga will keep for 10-12 months and is perfect for adding directly to soups or mashes.

FAQ: Your Rutabaga Storage Questions Answered

How long can you store rutabaga in the fridge?
Properly stored in a perforated bag in the crisper, whole rutabagas last 2 to 4 months.

What is the best way to store cut rutabaga?
Wrap the cut piece tightly in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container. Use it within a week.

Can rutabagas be stored with potatoes?
It’s best to store them seperately. They have similar but not identical needs, and potatoes can sometimes impart an off-flavor.

Why are my stored rutabagas getting soft?
The temperature is likely too warm, or they are too close to ethylene-producing fruits. They may also have been damaged or not cured properly before storage.

How do I know if a rutabaga has gone bad?
Discard it if it has a foul odor, is slimy, has extensive mold, or is extremely shriveled and lightweight.

Following these simple tips for how to store rutabaga will ensure you have this versatile vegetable on hand whenever you need it. With the right cool, humid, and dark environment, your rutabagas will stay firm and flavorful for months, ready to add hearty nutrition to your winter meals.