[bobbyt]

Hi
Anyone had this problem, I'm a bit confused, it does soften eventually after about 1.5 hours of boiling. It has been diced into 1cm cubes. Not sure what to do, or why there's a problem. Some of them have a really long 'neck' before the leaves, but the swede itself smells and looks normal. Some are a lot larger than others, but even the smaller ones have the same problem. Variety is Marian. Any advice for next time please ! Or how best to cook them. Thanks.

[maizey]

I grew Marian last year and had same problem.grew a different  variety.this year bora which was much easier  to cook

[Dev]

I must admit I grew Marion this year and they do seem to take a long time to soften sufficiently to mash (We like them mashed with carrots & butter). But 1.5 hours seems incredible - you could probably soften a brick in that time! I have found that they seem to have a deep rind to them so need peeling well, but I normally have mine ready in about 20 minutes. However, I'm going to try a different variety this year.

[mumofstig]

It doesn't solve the problem but I'd blame it on the dry spell we had earlier in the year. Once they've developed a hard/dry centre, they don't recover well.
I usually grow Tweed

[bobbyt]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I'll try a different variety next year, see if it makes a difference. It could be the weather as well I suppose. I'll report again next year !

[Goosegirl]

I've just asked my OH who used to be a chef and these are his answers:
1) If you left them in the ground too long they will have gone woody and there's nothing you can do to rescue them.
2) Try steaming them because it will keep the goodness in rather than boiling for such a long time.
3) You could try making a mash by using a mincer /food processor then put it in a steamer. If you find there are lots of stringy bits, pass it through a sieve beforehand then maybe make a parsnip puree.

[mrs bouquet]

Perhaps you could try them in a pressure cooker.   Mrs Bouquet