Kohlrabi-HUH!?!

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  

Kohlrabi Slaw

• 2 small kohlrabi
• 1 cup radish
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  1. Peel two small kohlrabi.
  2. Shred the kohlrabi and radishes. You may use a food processor for this. I hand grate using a cheese grater.
  3. Mix 1 Tablespoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley in a glass bowl. Whisk in 2 Tablespoons olive oil.
  4. Add shredded veggies and toss.
  5. Chill for 30 minutes or more.

There are many awesome images out there... But this one totally is inline with the Magickal harvest way of thinking!

Have you wanted to know what Kind of vitamins are in Spinach. Wondered about the Nutritional Value of Blessed Thistle? Well We found an awesome Website called  Plants For A Future this is a comprehensive database where you can search for over 7000 edible and medicinal plants using a number of search criteria including: common and Latin names, keyword, family, habitat and use (medicinal, edible or other).