It is the norm that supermarket rutabagas (many also refer to them as turnips) be peeled before cooking because of their wax-coated skin. First, as those who grow them know, those big turnips are really rutabagas, a cabbage/turnip cross. Second, waxing is a great way to seal, retain moisture and preserve the rutabaga.
With a wax coating, they can be stored for weeks, like other root vegetables. As one of the highest moisture root crops rutabagas are generally coated with a protective food-grade paraffin wax to prevent deterioration. After that, they are almost indestructible. In a root cellar or buried in sand, rutabagas can last a long time.
I’ve noticed a new trend to wax-less rutabagas in some stores and wondered why but surmise the expense or perhaps supply chain shortages. Whatever the cause without wax rutabagas have reduced shelf-life with higher risk of food waste.
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