Crossword Genius

University in Brest working with earthy vegetables (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

tubers

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'earthy vegetables' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both plants as well as being plural nouns.
Maybe you can see an association between them that I don't see?

'university in brest working' is the wordplay.
'university' becomes 'u'.
'in' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'working' indicates an anagram.
'brest' anagrammed gives 'tbers'.
'u' inserted within 'tbers' is 'TUBERS'.

'with' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for tubers that I've seen before include "Oddly rebuts the potatoes and dahlias" , "Wrongly rebuts the potatoes, say" , "Potatoes and dahlias, say" , "Kind of potatoes - real brutes (6)" , "spuds etc" .)

I've seen this clue in the Irish Times.
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