These beauties showed up in my CSA box yesterday. Believe me, I wouldn’t have a clue what they were unless the farmers included a cheat sheet in the box, which they did.
Because of the cheat sheet, I know that these are kohlrabi. Here’s what the farmer had to say about this vegetable:
Kohlrabi is a tasty vegetable that you can eat either raw or cooked…Its flavor is delicately sweet, and its texture is moist, yet crisp. Kohlrabi tastes mildly like broccoli with just a hint of cabbage…As a remarkable source of vitamin C, kohlrabi hleps your body absorb iron…A half-cup of kohlrabi offers 245 grams of potassium, 25 I.U. of vitamin A, 43.4 milligrams of vitamin C, 11.3 micrograms of folic acid, 16.8 mg of calcium and about 10 mg of choline. It’s a low-fat vegetable with only 19 calories in a half-cup serving that provides a healthy 23 mg of omega-3 fatty acids and 1.5 grams of protein.
Sounds like something I should be eating! But how? What to do with these lovelies?
Chop ’em up and eat ’em raw in a salad? Cook them in a stir-fry? I need ideas!
Have you ever eaten kohlrabi? How did you prepare it?
My dad and I were unsure as to how kohlrabi should be prepared, so we sliced them on a mandolin along with some potatoes, then layered them in a baking dish to make a potato/kohlrabi casserole. We were just experimenting but it came out pretty good! We used cream, crushed red pepper, a little cheese, etc. It was like au gratin style. Maybe you’d like it!
correction to email address for above question comment.
I’ve seen green kohlrabi at our local grocery store, but I don’t think I’ve seen the red/purple in stores. The farm where we are part of a CSA grew that variety.
Where can I buy both the green and red kohlrabi, all I’ve been able to find are seeds, I would like to get the produce already harvested first and try it them maybe try to grow some.
Thanks
Maryea, I thought of you when I saw this:
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/kohlrabi/
Thanks, Lisa! We should be getting kohlrabi for next few weeks, so I’ll definitely need more ways to prepare it. I made a great salad that I’ll be posting soon.
I can’t say I’ve ever even tried kohlrabi before, but if there’s a veggie I haven’t tried then I need to! It’s so pretty too.
I’ll let you know if it tastes as good as it looks! 🙂
I was sitting at the park today, thumbing through the June issue of Martha Stewart Living and I found an entire page article on kohlrabi and what to do with it! I immediately thought of you. Some ideas it listed are to chop it into a slaw (kohlrabi and apples cut into matchsticks, dressed with EVOO and lemon juice), bake it into chips (bake at 250* until crisp), or saute with onions and cream (using the leaves too, season with S&P and nutmeg). Now I want to go get some kohlrabi too!
How funny! Thanks for passing the information along; I’ll have to check it out.
I do not think that I have ever had kohlrabi, but have wanted to buy some at the store. However, like you, I am not sure how to prepare it. I, myself, would probably type it in a recipe Web site, like http://www.foodnetwork.com, and see how it is prepared.
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
I too have never had kohlrabi but now I am going to look for it at my farmer’s market tomorrow morning.
kohlrabi = a veggie that I havent eaten since childhood. suddenly, i must have it!
your vegan corn chowder also looks stellar!
I have never heard of kohlrabi and I thought I was pretty well-versed in the rarely used vegetables. Will you please let us know how you end up using it? And, how it ends up tasting? Would love to be inspired to go buy some. Good Luck. Wish I could offer you suggestions but it looks as if you’ve gotten some good ones already.
I will definitely let you know!
I love having finely sliced kohlrabi in my vietnamese noodle salad. It really is so crisp, sweet and fresh!
Oooh sounds delicious!
Use the greens raw (sparingly like you would cabbage) in a green smoothie!
When you make something would you please take pictures of the process of preparing it? I have seen them but I have no idea what to do with them either. I would love to see the whole process. Thanks!
Yes, I will definitely share the process with you. 🙂
I love kohlrabi raw, but it is also yummy roasted!
Here is a recipe from an old issue of Clean Eating Magazine that uses both the top and the bottom of the kohlrabi. It is SO good, and somehow much better than the sum of it’s parts. Looking at the recipe it seems like a basic vegetable soup, but I was completely blown away that it ended up being so tasty!
Kohlrabi Vegetable Soup
Serves 5
INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and thinly sliced into rounds
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
32 oz low-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
2 kohlrabi bulbs, peeled and diced
4 to 6 kohlrabi leaves, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
INSTRUCTIONS
In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, carrot and celery, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add broth, cabbage and kohlrabi bulbs and bring to a boil
Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes, until vegetables are fully cooked. Add kohlrabi leaves and parsley and cook until heated through.
Nutrients per 1-cup serving
Calories: 71, Total fat: 3g, Sat. Fat: 0.5g, Carbs: 10g, Fiber: 3g, Sugars: 4g, Protein: 1g, Sodium: 161mg, Cholesterol: 0mg
Thanks, Sara! This sounds incredible.
For the heads: shred it, then marinate in vinegar/lavendar salt for 1-3 hours, squeeze out all juice and serve cold on the side with a panini
For the leaves: saute pieces with garlic and little olive oil, white beans, and salt
Thank you, Mara! 🙂
Ooooooh, I love kholrabi! I usually get the green kind though, I’m not sure why, the purple ones are beautiful! I like it best raw. It tastes kind of like a broccoli stem and a radish to me. The first year we had them in our garden we just ate them all raw, haha. I peel the kholrabi the same way I do broccoli stems, cut off the top(or bottom) and then just pull the skin off with the edge of my knife. I’ve had it steamed but I wasn’t too impressed. I would assume it would be awesome in a stir fry though!
Thanks, Heidi, I can’t wait to try it!