[kyoto49]

Hi everyone,
Managed to grow some lovely swede and our favourite way/the only way we eat it is mashed in with potatoes, and lots of butter!  However,  no matter how small I cut the swede it can take up to an hour to go soft when I boil.  Am I doing something wrong?  What is the best way to get soft swede suitable for mashing?
Thanks for your help!

[mumofstig]

Ooer that's not right...... mine often soften up before the spuds 

[sunshineband]

Funny though --mainly swede soften esily but occasionally I have one that no amount of cooking will do it.

No idea why 

[wighty]

We don't dig our swede until after they've had a frost.  Find this somehow makes them quicker to cook.  We mash ours with lots of butter too and some garlic.  We have eight rather tasty looking football sized ones waiting.

[arugula]

Erm, I quite often cube it and steam it, prior to mashing with loads of butter and black pepper. I've never come across this problem before 

Lorna. 

[soupbox]

yeahh usually cubing anything before you steam it helps to cook things quicker

[Chappers]

My other halfs dad always does roast veg on a Sunday and just ckucks the swede in with the carrots, turnip and parsnips mmm

Paul

[sunshineband]

One of my friends just puts the whole washed swede on a plate and microwaves it fo 9 minutes, lets it stnad for a while and scoops out all the flesh from the collapsed skin   

Werks fer 'er

[Paul Plots]

My other halfs dad always does roast veg on a Sunday and just ckucks the swede in with the carrots, turnip and parsnips mmm

Paul

Swede boiled and mashed, mixed with mashed carrot and placed in an oven-proof glass dish. Into the oven with a knob of butter on the top as well as ground black-pepper.
Just as it begins to get a very slight brown crisp on the top - take it out and serve with the roast. Excellent, we think! 

[Bluedave]

I agree with learner - thats how we have our swede most of the time, occasionaly we have it roasted with parsnips, potatoes, carrots, beetroot and onions - hmmmm.

If it's getting mashed then it gets cubed, goes soft quite quickly.

[sloworm]

mashed with carrots and butter and lots of pepper mmm I do chop it small tho' also has to be an essential ingredient in pasty pie along with onions leeks tatties parsley and skirt  guess what is for tea tonite

[Paul Plots]

Despite still feeling rotten (having had a bug - not sure what) I am now feeling quite hungry after reading about all this food.

Must get down the allotment tomorrow and bring some fresh veg home. 

[mumofstig]

Hope you feel better soon....I'm sure some good fresh veg will improve things

[Paul Plots]

Hope you feel better soon....I'm sure some good fresh veg will improve things

Thanks for the good wishes - appreciated! 

Up this morning quite early and ready to set off to the plot...... then she-who-must-be....(well you know what I mean) had decided to "do" the pots on the patio - as she does from time to time.. That was the end of the early allotment trip.

Huge half-barrel that once housed fish and plants now rolled down the garden (on its way out), pots / tubs emptied all over the place (do we really need to fill half the space with tubs?) and now she-who-must-be.... has gone off shopping. Patience is a virtue - meanwhile my swede are still sitting on the plot waiting. 

[mumofstig]

O what a shame, and it's lovely and sunny today as well (well it is here)