So What is this Funny Looking plant???
This is the freak show veggie that is totally awesome!
The Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi
is a part of the Cabbage family, The plants form a bulb, actually and
edible swollen stems, just above the ground that are shaped like round
tennis balls. They are green or deep violet-purple depending on the
variety, with ruffled foliage that looks like broccoli leaves growing
out of the bulb's tops and sides. These are often missed labeled by people as a root veggie they are not.
These
are considered “cold weather” plants, just like your cabbages and
lettuces and should already be in the ground in most parts of the
country. There still is time to plant seedlings, but to start from seed,
you would start in February (late winter). They do very well in part
shade/sunny location, and do well with moderate watering/ light
fertilizer. They are a hardy plant...
Harvesting
these guys...they are much tastier as little bulbs, when the skin is
tender, and the bulb is about 2-4” diameter. They tend to taste
“woodier” the bigger they get, but all hope is not lost...if you have
ginormous kohlrabi, simply slice them with a mandolin and make a
scalloped dish, or enjoy grilled with fresh herbs and olive oil.
"I
begin to harvest kohlrabi when they reach 2 to 3 inches in diameter.
Cut the stem about an inch below the round bulbs. Trim off the leaves to
cook separately and store the thick skinned bulbs in the vegetable
crisper of your refrigerator. They will keep well for at least 3 weeks
to cook up as you need them. I still enjoy kohlrabi sliced up raw best
of all, but now I like to use both leaves and bulbs as cooked vegetables
too. The leaves make a wonderful greens. Cut out and discard the stems,
then drop the leaves into a pot of boiling salted water. Cook until
just tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Then heat some olive oil in a
skillet, add garlic or chopped onion and sauté until fragrant and
softened. Toss in the kohlrabi leaves and cook a few minutes more.
Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon. Peel and slice kohlrabi bulbs raw
for snacks, just like you would slice up an apple. Thin slices make
crispy sweet dip holders or can be used instead of crackers for creamy
spreads. Slices are great to add to green salads instead of cucumbers.
You'll find shredded raw kohlrabi makes especially mild, sweet coleslaw,
and you can also make kohlrabi pickles.
Kohlrabi's
mild flesh cooks up to tender sweet succulence. Peel off the outer
skins and slice or cube to saute slowly in sweet butter, or steam the
unpeeled bulbs whole, then peel and cut up. Traditionally, cooked
kohlrabi is served in a rich homemade cream sauce and it is quite
delectable this way, especially with a few gratings of nutmeg added to
the sauce. Stir fry kohlrabi with carrot slices, and scallions for a
delicious and colorful side dish, seasoned lightly with fresh
ginger root. I've found that cooked kohlrabi pairs beautifully with fresh
herbs like lemon thyme, marjoram, summer savory, garlic chives, broad
leafed parsley, or dill leaf and aromatics like curry, nutmeg, ginger or
paprika. To finish a dish of herbed kohlrabi perfectly, add a dollop of
sour cream or fresh, whole milk yogurt. Unpeeled, trimmed kohlrabi
bulbs can also be baked in the oven. Just put them in a covered
casserole with 2 to 3 tablespoons of water and bake at 350 degrees for
about an hour or until fork tender. Cool, peel and slice, and dress with
a little butter and lemon and your favorite herbs or spices as above. I
find that baking the bulbs is easy and really seems to intensify and
concentrate their flavor." - Renee Shepard from ReneesGarden.com (this is a great article please it give a Read)
Kohlrabi Saute from Renee's garden
4 medium kohlrabi bulbs
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh low fat sour cream
Peel
the tough outer skin from the kohlrabi, then coarsely grate bulbs. In a
skillet heat butter and olive oil. Add garlic, onion and kohlrabi and saute, stirring for 5 to 7 minutes or until kohlrabi is tender crisp.
Stir in lemon juice, parsley, then season with salt and freshly ground
pepper to taste. Stir in sour cream, and serve hot.
Serves 4 -6
Pickled Kohlrabi from Renee's garden
3 kohlrabi peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 large carrots peeled, cut into sticks, parboiled 3 minutes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
3 large sprigs fresh dill
Pickling mixture:
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 1/4 cups water
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon dill seed
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
Combine kohlrabi and carrots and pack in a 1 quart glass jar along with garlic,
bay leaf and fresh dill. In a saucepan combine pickling mixture ingredients and
heat, stirring, until it boils and sugar is dissolved. Pour boiling mixture over
kohlrabi filling jar completely. Cover jar. When cool, refrigerate for 3 to 4
days before using to let flavors blend.
Makes 1 quart.
Roasted Kohlrabi -from allrecipes.com
4 kohlrabi bulbs, peeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
1. Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. Cut the kohlrabi into 1/4 inch thick slices, then
cut each of the slices in half. Combine olive oil, garlic, salt and
pepper in a large bowl. Toss kohlrabi slices in the olive oil mixture to
coat. Spread kohlrabi in a single layer on a baking sheet.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until browned, 15 to 20
minutes, stirring occasionally in order to brown evenly. Remove from
oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven to allow the
Parmesan cheese to brown, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately
-
2 small
kohlrabi
-
1 cup
radish
-
1 tablespoon
white wine vinegar
-
1 teaspoon
sugar
-
2 tablespoons
fresh parsley, chopped
-
2 tablespoons
olive oil
-
Peel two small kohlrabi.
-
Shred the kohlrabi and radishes. You may use a food processor for this. I hand grate using a cheese grater.
-
Mix 1 Tablespoon
vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley in a
glass bowl. Whisk in 2 Tablespoons olive oil.
-
Add shredded veggies and toss.
-
Chill for 30 minutes or more.
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| There are many awesome images out there... But this one totally is inline with the Magickal harvest way of thinking! |
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