For Now, It's Kohlrabi

 

 

This week I was planning on writing about seed starting. Sharing a few tips and tricks and posting a few pics of the seedlings I've started. However, after eating an amazing meal at Bowl restaurant last week, that will have to wait. For now, it's kohlrabi.

Bowl is a local restaurant here in the "Biggest Little City", and as the name suggests, there are no plates. They serve the food, bursting with flavor, in bowls. Their concept is simple: to serve delicious comfort food that's homemade, modest and fresh. Food that is good for our well being. Their menu changes according to what is in season and they purchase local, organic ingredients as often as possible. This is my kind of place!

When we entered, we were immediately greeted with a hug and a smile from Mary, who happens to also be one heck of a barista at The Hub Coffee Co. We read through the various menu options which were written on the giant overhead chalkboard. That's when I spotted it. There it was, in bold 288 point type -"Stuffed Kohlrabi".  

 

Larry, the chef at bowl, prepared the little "space cabbages" by stuffing them with sauteed mushrooms and amaranth. He plated a couple of these little gems atop some fresh greens and adorned them with some wonderfully radiant carrot 'jus', each ingredient complementing it's companion fabulously.

Now I had seen these crazy, UFO looking things in the produce section at the Co-op, but I had no idea what they were. How do I prepare them?  What do they taste like? What is that? With all these questions in my head, needless to say, they never made it into the cart.

Kohlrabi is a cool-weather lover that can be planted in early spring in a cold frame or under a mini hoop tunnel. It can also be planted in the open garden a few weeks before the last spring frost. In late summer, a fall crop can be planted once again in the unprotected garden or in a cold frame for a cold season harvest. Kohlrabi is a crazy little veggie from the cabbage family (which also includes broccoli, cauliflower, kale and mustard). It offers the same amazing health benefits as its cousins. Yet kohlrabi is easier to grow than it's relatives and fast maturing, making it ideal for early spring or fall planting. 

White Vienna is probably the most common. It is pale green on the outside, pure white on the inside and best picked when between tennis and baseball sized. It can be planted a few weeks before early frost for a crop that is ready about 45 days after germination, and again late in summer for a fall crop. Other than routine weeding and watering, kohlrabi requires little attention. Purple Vienna is similar in size and culture, takes a few days longer to mature, and has fewer leaves.
 


The edible part of the plant is a rounded stem that sits on top of the ground. It comes in varieties that are dazzling shades of lime green, bright purple, and creamy white. These swollen orbs are harvested young, when the stems are 2 to 3 inches in diameter. The round bulbs can be steamed, stuffed or stir fried; added to soups or sliced and baked. They can also be enjoyed raw and made into coleslaw.

So.... after my delicious introduction to this freaky cabbage family gem at Bowl and discovering how easy they are to grow as both a spring and fall crop, I will gladly welcome these tasty little aliens as they invade the garden this year.


Until next time...