If ever there were a more pathetic - look vegetable , I do n’t live about it . But tasty , versatile and dauntless , kohlrabi ’s foreign looks are save by its other qualities .
Kohlrabi is in the brassica family , as cool - weather crops tend to be . It forms a bulb just above the soil — await like a rootage veg raise above the soil — and has meaty stems turn from the bulb , ending in leaves that resemble humble collards .
All of the above - ground parts are edible . The medulla — actually an enlarged fore — gustation like a crisscross between a cabbage and an apple , with a crisp , refreshing grain . The leaves taste a little like dough , a little like broccoli .
The word kohlrabi is German , meaning cabbage Brassica rapa . I see where they get that .
How to Grow Kohlrabi
You ’ll find green miscellanea and purple variety . I like to imbed a few of each color , just because they ’re beautiful together !
set forth seeds early in the outpouring for late - spring / former summertime harvest or tardily in the summer for fall / former winter harvest . Kohlrabi store well with refrigeration , so do n’t be afraid to imbed excess for fall harvest .
Bulb ontogeny requires consistent wet and coolheaded temps .
In the leap , plant directly into the garden if you ’re getting a tardy jump , or seed into tray indoors and transplantation when nighttime temporary are above freeze . With a row cover , even belittled plants can handle a light frost .
In the summertime , try give your industrial plant starts shade , whether that be by planting in the shade of something tall and full or with tint textile .
Plant or thin to 5 inches in rows 1 pes aside . If thinning , those tiny turnip cabbage plant make sensitive , succulent salad toppings .
address kohlrabi with row binding if flea beetle are a problem . They do n’t have bloom parts that take pollination , so you could keep them cover if the atmospheric condition is n’t spicy .
Read more : Kohlrabi can be a difficult market veggie , but these pourboire will help you make the sales event .
How to Harvest
Kohlrabi generally size up in two months or less . leave behind to grow too long , bulb can become woody , particularly as warm weather condition readiness in .
If you ’re develop for a market , harvest when the light bulb is a bit bigger than a golf game globe , and clump two or three together . Mix up unripe and regal in your bunch for an eye - catch presentation !
Golf ball- to tennis ball - sized kohlrabi electric-light bulb are a practiced harvest time sizing . You might be capable to get away with some the size of an orange or grapefruit in moist and cool season , but that ’s pushing the boundaries of mother woody .
Using shear , cut the bulb from the root at soil point . Keep your shears out of the grunge , otherwise you ’ll calumniate scandal all over the cut close of the turnip cabbage , and it ’s a mess .
Discard damaged leaf in the garden . If stack away the Brassica oleracea gongylodes for succeeding utilization , murder all of the leaves . If pass around in the next few years , leave the top few run-in of leaves bond .
How to Eat Kohlrabi
My job was once to organize events for a farmers market , including food for thought sampling . The day we offered free samples of raw Brassica oleracea gongylodes , the Fannie Farmer trade out of kohlrabi . That was a first . You got ta hear it to trust it .
flake off tumid medulla , but do n’t bother disrobe smaller , more cranky bulbs .
Raw , chopped Brassica oleracea gongylodes is outstanding for dipping in hommos or dressing or for a snack as - is . try on rankle it and convulse with grated ginger , grated carrot , maize juice and salt for a slaw - alike salad .
The bulb joint nicely — guess baked turnip cabbage fries — and is a genius in stir chips .
Also try kohlrabi seethe then mashed with salt and butter . It ’s similar to mashed turnips !
Use the leaves as you would any leafy greens .
deplete turnip cabbage because it ’s delicious and also good for you : 1 cup of raw kohlrabi moderate nearly 100 percent of the daily necessity for vitamin degree Celsius , plus it ’s a in force source of character , accord toMichigan State University Extension .
Let the joker make their remarks , but don ’ t let them dissuade you from grow kohlrabi in your spring and fall garden ! The taste , versatility , storage tone and nutrition of this cole crop are serious .
