Yesterday we talked about a medley of root vegetables that we've been roasting in the oven. We just can't get enough of them. But our carrots are coming to an end. As discussed yesterday, I'm not a fan of turnip roots. I like turnip greens, but the turnip roots I mainly give away and also feed to the cows. However, I have found a relative to the turnip family that I like.
Kohlrabi! I had never heard of this vegetable. We certainly never grew up eating it. The kohlrabi is NOT a root vegetable. It is actually the swollen stem of a vegetable that grows above ground and is a brassica. That means it is related to cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. The name "kohlrabi" is German for 'cabbage turnip.'
I would have never thought to plant this in our garden. We got it as one of the free seeds sent out by Baker Creek Heirloom seeds orders. The seeds we got were Purple Kohlrabi. The seed looked exactly like any other brassica seed. When it grew... wow! Look at this vegetable. It looks like something cultivated on Mars or Saturn.
Mixed up in the purple kohlrabi seed envelope must have been just a regular old kohlrabi plant. It looks just the same except for the color.
Here they are side by side in my hand to give you an idea of how big they are. I've tried to let them grow bigger, but learned that's not a good idea. They get tough and 'woody' if allowed to continue growing.
I tear off the leaves and give them to the cows and goats, but to be honest, kohlrabi leaves are edible for humans, too. I use a sharp knife to peel the outer skin off and then I half them and begin slicing into thin cubes. We'll roast those in a pan the exact same way that we did the carrots, beets, and cauliflower. I have a good many of these that I'll be harvesting soon to make room for the spring garden.
No comments:
Post a Comment