Kohlrabi-how to harvest, cook & serve

Kohlrabi: low, stout vegetable; slightly sweet taste; can be served alone or used in place of turnips, potatoes or rutabaga.
Days to Harvest: 55-60 days after planting seeds in soil.
Species: Brassica-which means its from the same family as turnips, broccoli, cabbage, collard greens, mustard plant etc.
Back in April we planted several kinds of seeds in our freshly tilled garden plot. Among them was Kohlrabi. We waited and waited to see how well they would do and finally we saw these tiny leaves sprouting up in the row. Such pretty little leaves all in a row.  As time went on I noticed a bulb was forming on top of the ground.  Digging under and around the bulb, I checked if there was a root. Sure was! Covering it back up, I waited some more. Finally, after about 55 days (after sowing the seeds) I pulled the bulb up out of the ground and shook the soil from its root.
All the light green, long stems were soft, but firm and I simply snapped them off, laying them in a pile.
Here’s a recipe I used to serve this delicious vegetable.
Pinto Beans and Kohlrabi

• 2 C dried pinto beans
• 3 kohlrabi
• 4 T real butter
• 6 C water
• S & P to taste

Wash, rinse and clean beans; place in large cooking pot with butter, S & P, water; bring to a rolling boil. Meanwhile, clean kohlrabi and peel as you would a potato (as below). When your bean are about 20 minutes away from being done, add the kohlrabi to the beans; stir gently and cook until semi-soft; NOT mushy. Add additional water if necessary.
Serve with fresh green beans, steamed carrots, fresh potatoes and Johnny-cakes (corn bread sticks)

Cut in half

Cut ends off

Peel as you would a potato

You’ll notice that the outer skin is very woody, although it peels very easily.  Be careful to observe that if the meat of the bulb is woody, it may be too hard to eat. So cut that part off before cooking.

The inside of the bulb is tender and almost has a sweetened flavor. Not enough to really be sweet though.  You can cut into cubes or cut into julienne slices(as in baby carrot sized) and use with your favorite veggie dip, fresh and raw. 

Home made corn bread sticks are the perfect addition to this garden-fresh meal.  High in protein, fiber and potassium.  Low in fat and salt.

Thanks for visiting!
Kimi