Trumpet Pasta with Turnips and Mushrooms
The official state vegetable in Vermont is the Gilfeather Turnip. A funny name for a simple root that doesn’t call attention to itself, humble in appearance, drab in color, softball sized but sweet and mild in flavor. Its ancestry is muddled, part turnip? Part rutabaga? A hybrid? Mutant? It’s a bit of a wallflower at the markets, if you can find them, but still this simple little vegetable has a festival named after it and is elevated to star status in Vermont.
An ancestry mystery
The turnip was developed over a hundred years ago by Wardsboro farmer John Gilfeather. They have the best features of both turnips and rutabagas, sweeter than either, mild in flavor, and creamy in consistency when mashed. So the story goes in these parts, Gilfeather guarded his secrets closely, cutting off the tops before bringing to market so no one else could propagate them! He is said to have brought a wheel barrel full to the Brattleboro market in the fall after the frost, and they were highly prized because no one else had them. It is thought that Gilfeather created this hybrid himself, but no one knows for sure, so it will remain a mystery, and we still debate to this day whether this root is a turnip or a rutabaga because it has features of both, and is milder than either.
Determined school children
One might think the state vegetable would be our sweetest butter-and-sugar corn, or one of our gloriously flowering and prolific runner beans, perhaps an heirloom pumpkin from centuries ago, or a fine early bearing summer tomato. I’m not sure why it is the state vegetable other than the fact it had a really good lobby – determined school children.
A formal declaration
It began as a school project at the Wardsboro Elementary School, but bloomed into formal legislation in 2016, and received its official declaration when signed into law by the governor. I can’t imagine a better lesson in the workings of government than this. Good job kids!
Let’s party this Saturday!
A festival is held in Wardsboro every year at the end of October, and this year it will be celebrated on Saturday. If you are making your way to Vermont to engage in a bit of leaf peeping, stop by for the festivities.
Good characteristics
I’ve nothing against them; they are sweet and tasty, hardy, you don’t even harvest them until after a good hard freeze. Additionally, they will keep for months in the cold cellar.
Hard to find
But for one thing, they are hard to find. If you don’t live in the area around Wardsboro in southern Vermont, you may have to engage a search party. Part of the problem was that the seeds were tightly controlled for many years, so they didn’t catch on in the rest of the state. But, they are now widely available, and are registered as an heirloom variety with the State Department of Agriculture, so there is hope its fame will spread. For more information, visit the Mother Earth Gardener.
Now’s the time to search
After the first hard freeze in Southern Vermont, farmers start harvesting the Gilfeather Turnip. So now is the time to look for them at farm stands and the like, just don’t be surprised if the farmer doesn’t know what you are talking about! I was lucky this time around, but you can substitute any turnip or rutabaga in this recipe.
What else can you find?
In my travels this week, I also came across some sweet little Brussels sprouts, some beautiful leeks, my favorite in the onion family, and a big basket of locally grow mushrooms, a mix of shiitake and lion’s mane. Mid-week pasta, here we go! I chose some rye and semolina trumpets, but use any bite-sized pasta you love. The rye was delicious, unexpected, and I’ll definitely look for this pasta again.
Now, the enhancements
I pulled some herbs out of the garden, and livened things up with fresh ginger. Use all but the very toughest ends of the leek, just slice them thinly and they will soften beautifully, almost melt away deliciously. The same with the fennel stems, no need to toss them, they are tender and full of flavor. My bulb was on the small side, and I diced up the core as well. So good!
Make it your own
Don’t hesitate to make your own substitutions not only with the herbs, but veggies as well. Don’t like Brussels sprouts? Use peas or green beans. Not a fan of fennel? Substitute celeriac or carrots.
Weeknight easy
This dish is not only tasty, but hearty and puts itself together in the time it takes to make the pasta, my kind of week-night dish. Heavy on the veggies, light on the pasta, your half pound of trumpets will feed six to eight easily, and it’s whole grain.
Now, tomorrow’s lunch
For a second act, add a vinaigrette to any leftovers and you have a delicious and well-balanced pasta salad for lunch.
Trumpet Pasta with Turnips and Mushrooms
- 8 ounces trumpet or other bite-sized pasta
- 2-3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 leek, white and dark part sliced thinly, or 1 onion
- 1 bulb fennel, root and stems, diced
- 1 knob ginger, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 oz. (225 g.) or so mixed mushrooms, rough tear or slice
- 1 Gilfeather turnip, diced, or rutabaga, or turnips, about 2 cups
- 1 yellow or red frying pepper, sliced
- 7 oz. (200 g.) or so Brussels sprouts, halved
- ½ cup dry white wine or vegetable stock
- 1 to 2 tbsp. fresh tarragon, minced
- 2 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan or vegan Parmesan
- 2 tbsp. butter or vegan butter
- Shaved Parm for garnish
Put water on to boil for pasta, and prep all your veggies.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high and add the leek and fennel. Cook until these have softened, and the onions just start to get a bit of color. Add the ginger and garlic and continue stirring for a minute or so, then add the mushrooms, pepper, and sprouts.
Salt your boiling water and drop the pasta, and continue cooking the veggies for about five minutes, then deglaze with the wine, cover, and continue cooking until tender.
Add the herbs, the cooked pasta, and grated cheese, creaming it up with a bit of pasta water, and finish with butter if you like.
Place in a bowl and garnish with shaved Parmesan, vegan Parmesan, or nutritional yeast, some more herbs, and some edible flowers if the garden is still cooperating. It’s been in the mid to high 70 degrees the last few days, so mine was definitely cooperating, and I’ve lots of flowering herbs and roses again. Not for long though, temperatures are supposed to start falling tonight to more seasonable levels.
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Pasta is so original! Ive seen a similar vegetable to the Gilfeather turnip here, we use it in soups. Next time I’ll pay attention to what the vegetable is called.
I suspect there are a lot of these heirloom turnip/rutabaga mixes around, and it’s always fun to give them a try!
Dorothy, I love the way you write, how you draw us in. And your recipes are always different than we typically find. No wonder Mary Oliver worked with you. She saw your talent and creativity. Now, we benefit from all of you experience and knowledge. Thank you.
Oh, thank you so much Mary! I like to look behind the things we cook with, see if there is a story, and there is always a story!
I learned a lot from Mary, mostly about how to find my own voice and write to please myself!
What a fun read this morning! That is literally “bringing history to life” and to the dinner table.
I can see this old codger, cutting off the turnip tops so he kept his secrets!
The turnip fest sounds like a lot of fun. I’d love to see which celebrities are given the gilfeather treatment in the best dressed comp!
It’s pretty wild! The whole town has lots of fun with this, and they raise a fair amount of money for the library and others.
I lived in No. Calif for a couple of years. There was this restaurant/bar that served turnip fries (instead of french or sweet potato fries) and they were delicious! I wish one of the places around here would get on that bandwagaon.
I never thought of that one, but boy it’s worth a try! Stay tuned!
Turnip truffle fries? Can’t wait to see what you come up with!
With a little parm of course!
Such a lovely tradition! Your dish is a celebration of autumn veggies! 🙂
Thanks Ronit! It is a celebration, and a really tasty one at that!
How fascinating. I’ve probably never eaten a turnip in my whole life!
Cheers
Sherry
Well, maybe this is the right time to give them a try!
What a fun post! Very funny. Great pasta dish.
Thanks Mimi! It’s a fun little diversion!
Definitely a new veggie for me!
Or a very, very old one!
What a delicious looking dish Dorothy. I had to laugh at the fact that Mr. Gilfeather cut the tops off so nobody else could propagate them, smart man!
Ah, but his secret almost died with him!
Thank God it didn’t!
I love fascinating local ingredients like this and what a wonderful story behind the turnip ~ Mr Gilfeather and the school children both! (Should also mention that your recipe looks lovely. 😋)
Thank you Lis! They were good stories indeed, when I find these roots (next year I’m going to grow them!) I think of this old coot and his wheel barrel, coming into town confident his secret was safe!
You have to smile, don’t you? 😂
Such an interesting story about the Gilfeather turnip! This is a delicious sounding way to use it!
Jenna
Thank you Jenna! The turnips lended a pleasant sweet taste to the dish.
An heirloom turnip! This makes me smile. Your Gilfeather looks similar to an ordinary Ohio kohlrabi. Just saying, no disrespect intended.
None taken! They are all in the same family!
I love root vegetables and turnips especially so this is right up my alley. Yum!
Thanks for sharing all the info on your state vegetable. I always enjoy the stories you share!
Thank you Nancy! The stories are often the best part!
What an enjoyable post to read and learn something new. The pasta dish sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing all of this!
Thanks Roz! It was a good story, and I loved putting those funny little turnips in my dish.
Those competitions make it fun for the kids, so they’re nurturing the next generation of Gilfeather turnip fans! What a fun post!
You never know what kind of festival we’ll have around here! I’m sure the 4-H is involved.
What a creative meal! I’ve never heard of the Gilfeather turnip before either but I like the idea of adding it to a pasta dish.
Thank you Natasha! They were a lovely addition to the whole, and I’ll definitely keep it in mind with other turnips/rutabagas.
What an interesting dish! Sounds delicious 😋 It’s a long time I don’t eat turnips!
Thank you! It was really nice.