New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

Rutabaga Renaissance: Damn the Torpedoes! Full Speed Ahead!
Recipes For Sustainable Living

Before you read any further, let’s agree on three truths. The first truism is that Krsna loves the whole of His creation—that is, all His parts and parcels, vegetable species included. The second truism is that we neophytes must see all other life forms as intrinsically valuable, whether we know how they fit into Krsna’s plan or not. The third truism is that rutabagas aren’t appreciated by most New Vrindaban residents. In fact, many older generation Brijabasis, curl their lips with distaste at the mention of the word “rutabaga.”

As a resident New Vrindaban farmer/gardener who once grew rutabagas abundantly, I have suffered through years of public humiliation over the rutabaga issue. At one point, a combination of community peer pressure and threats forced me to vow never to grow another rutabaga on New Vrindaban soil. Be advised, O ye who buyeth your produce at Jebbia’s, my period of exile is over!. Declare it boldly, rutabagas—a mainstay of our diet through the fall and winter of 1974–can be made to taste delicious!

Here’s how: The first step is growing them yourself. Srila Prabhupada wanted his followers living in rural environs to grow their own food. In fact, Srila Prabhupada referred to farming and cow protection as the”gifted professions,“ (Light of The Bhagavat). Now, pre-heat a cast iron skillet for ten minutes and liberally brush the skillet’s surface with your cooking oil of choice. Cut the rutabaga into uniform shaped ½ inch slabs, like you would tofu for a sandwich. Slow cook the slabs until you notice them browning on the surface. That brown crusty stuff is caramelized sugar, arisen from the depths of the rutabaga’s yellow/white flesh. Offer and serve hot. Besides tasting something like sweet potato, rutabagas are extremely high in minerals and Vitamin C. Let the critics scorn the lowly rutabaga, we shall grow, offer and eat them with delight………Tapahpunja Dasa.