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If you have not grown or eaten these mild mannered members of the cabbage family, you are in for a real treat! They are not yet well known in the United States, but I'm sure they will be. They have a mild, sweet turnip like flavor.
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Pictures are courtesy of Gourmet Seed International.
Kolrabi is a low growing stout member of the cabbage family and will grow almost anywhere. It has been selected for its swollen, nearly spherical, Sputnik-like shape. It does very well in well drained fertile soil. I comes in both white and purple varieties.
When to Plant: Sow seeds in early spring. Make small plantings every 2 to 3 weeks for continuous spring and early summer harvest. For an especially early harvest, plants may be started indoors or in the greenhouse in flats to be transplanted into the garden as soon as the ground becomes workable. Like cabbage, kohlrabi plants can stand some frost. One or two late plantings can also be made in mid-summer at the same time as late cabbage. In very hot weather, these seedlings may benefit from some shade when they are small. I interplant them in and amongst taller plants I already have growing. We love them so much I usually buy extras of these seeds.
Spacing: The growers recommend sowing seeds in rows and cover them 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep. Thin the seedlings to 2 to 5 inches apart. We use the wide row method of gardening, so I had sow them in the area and thin with an iron toothed rake. You can also transplant the some of the surplus seedlings to fill in blanks in other parts of the row or into additional row space if more harvest is desired. The raked seedlings are great for tender, stir-fry greens.
Harvesting: Kohlrabi has the mildest and best flavor (resembling mild white turnips) when small. Large, older kohlrabi is tough and woody and it may have an off-flavor. Begin harvesting (pull or cut at ground level) when the first stems are about one inch in diameter. Continue harvest until the stems are 2 to 3 inches in diameter. When the stems get much bigger than 3 inches, they begin to develop woody fibers, especially in the lower part of the expanded stem. Even overgrown kohlrabi still may have some tender and tasty tissue at the top, where the youngest leaves continue to emerge as the plant grow.
Recommended eating: Kids love these both for their odd look and great taste. They are great raw straight out of the ground. My oldest son loves them this way and this year grew his own in his garden. I wonder if my DIL was looking for her salt shaker too? I use to find my salt shaker laying beside the row, LOL? They are great sauted with a little garlic, lemon juice, butter and a touch of sour cream. Peel the outer skin off and slice thin. There are some interesting recipes to be found by googling the web.
Diseases: They are subject to the same diseases as cabbage. I like to interplant them among the marigolds, just for the look and the marigolds keep most of the "pests" away.
 | Hubby and I have been doing Organic Gardening off and on for over 25 years. Just finishing the Virginia Master Gardening classes at the end of Nov 07. I love talking and teaching gardening to anybody that will listen. |
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Subject: Winter Sowing this "Alien"
Posted by michaeljo (from West Norriton, PA) on February 9, 2008 at 8:18 AM:Hi docgcat5,
Great article! You may remember that you convinced me to winter sow Kohlrabi. Well, I took you advise and planted a large container of them -- can't wait to try them. I just checked the container yesterday (2/8/08) -- the kohlrabi has sprouted. The sprouts are about 1/2". Since it's only February, with at least 6 more weeks of winter (although it's been very mild so far), do I need to protect the seedlings or just let "Mother Naturre" do her thing?
Michaeljo ... Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on February 9, 2008 at 9:04 AM: They should be fine, I'd cover if you're going to get real hard freeze, but they are related to cabbage so a little nip of cold shouldn't be a problem. Spring is not that far away! Thanks goodness ... Posted by michaeljo (from West Norriton, PA) on February 14, 2008 at 7:07 AM: I'm counting the days to Spring ... no real hard freezes in the forecast yet, but it's still February and you never know. Thanks for the information. Let me know if you want any of the seeds, I'd be glad to send you some next year. ... Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on February 14, 2008 at 7:27 AM: Same here, :) I'm getting antsier all the time. LOL ...
Subject: "Alien in the Garden".......
Posted by tomatomaniac (from Conroe, TX) on February 4, 2008 at 9:00 AM:I had to laugh when I saw your description of Kohlrabi as "ALIEN".........LoL. I had my first taste of kohlrabi out of my roommate's parent's garden in San Antonio, Texas, when I was in dental school. I am going to grow it for the first time here in my garden this Spring. I have loved this veggie for a long time and one of our local grocery stores, HEB, occasionally caries them. However, I don't know where they get them from and/or how long they have been stored. Many times they are woody, dried out, and just low in flavour. I could imagine someone hearing/reading about kohlrabi and thinking that was what they tasted like........
I have discussed this veggie with friends and fellow gardeners over the years and have always described them as looking like "Turnips from Outer Space".....LOL. So, you can see why I loved your reference to "Alien".
Regards,
Harold ... Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on February 4, 2008 at 9:04 AM: Thanks Harold, I got a large grin while reading your note. I've grown them off and on for 20 years. Don't even remember where I found the original pkg of seed, but I like to try the unusual so off we went. My sons were just little guys and I confess I allowed them to blissfully ignorant of the fact they weren't suppose to like veggies. Somebody ratted me out when they were teens, but it was tooooooo late. LOL
I'm trying to track down the variety that doesn't get woody, the gentleman mentioned, but so far no luck. ... Posted by Fitsy (from Hayesville, NC) on February 4, 2008 at 5:06 PM: A young kohlrabi is sublime! thanks for reminding me
to grow some again.
Fitsy ...
Subject: Myth
Posted by CountryGardens (from Lewisville, MN) on February 3, 2008 at 8:04 AM:Big Kohlrabi being woody.
Woody runs with variety. The common varieties, 'White Vienna" & "Grand Duke" are prone to woody.
A newer variety, "Winner" does not get woody, period. We have grown them for years and always harvest when 3" across or more. I have tried some that were left because of not nice looking, that got to be very large. Still tender.
We sell at a Farmers Market. Years ago you could not hardly give kohlrabi away. We set out samples on a regular basis. Now kohlrabi is one of the fastest sellers at the market. Still lots of people that have never tried them.
Our large ones are always a hit.
An old German variety, "Supersmeltz" is also one that can get huge & still be very good. Actually seems to be better the bigger it gets. These we sell when they are about 6" in diameter.
I can't figure out why people need salt on fresh veggies. They have plenty of their own flavor.
Bernie ... Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on February 3, 2008 at 9:23 AM: Bernie, thanks so much for sharing that information. I'll have to hunt up the Winner variety to try. We do love this veggie. As for salt, who knows?
... Posted by mellielong (from Lutz, FL) on February 3, 2008 at 11:43 AM: I need some clarification. Do you eat the leafy stuff on top, the bulb thing in the ground, or both? Starting my first vegetable garden this year, and I already bought some seeds of this plant. Love the article and didn't realize the plant would be so neat-looking!
Melanie ... Posted by CountryGardens (from Lewisville, MN) on February 3, 2008 at 12:37 PM: The bulb sits just above ground. The leaves you can cook like cabbage, discard the ribs. Very popular in Germany, the leaves. Not sure how they use them. ... Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on February 3, 2008 at 3:34 PM: If the leaves attached to the kohlrabi bulb are fresh and green, they can be enjoyed as a cooked green. Wash the leaves and remove the ribs. Blanch in boiling water until just wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and squeeze excess water from leaves. Chop leaves, then saute in a little olive oil or butter. Season with salt and pepper. Add a splash of vinegar or squeeze of fresh lemon juice. ... Posted by mellielong (from Lutz, FL) on February 3, 2008 at 4:25 PM: Thanks everyone! I look forward to eating them later this year. Oh, and I like to eat raw cabbage with a little salt so I might be one of those folks leaving the shaker out in the garden.
Melanie ... Posted by randbponder (from Hornick, IA) on February 3, 2008 at 7:28 PM: I enjoy the core of the cabbage as well. Not much difference between that and the kohlrabi, for flavor. When mother cooked cabage I would always ask for the core. ...
Subject: yum
Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on February 3, 2008 at 7:17 AM:I used to eat these when we lived in Germany. Must revisit them, thanks for the article! ... Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on February 3, 2008 at 9:32 AM: They are gooood stuff ! ... Posted by Dea (from Frederick, MD) on February 3, 2008 at 12:32 PM: Ever tried them stuffed, like peppers? Oh Boy :O) They're awesome !
... Posted by pixie62560 (from South China, ME) on February 3, 2008 at 12:41 PM: They are wonderful, hope more people try them thanks to this article! ... Posted by darius (from Appalachian Mtns, VA) on February 3, 2008 at 12:49 PM: I love kohlrabi, and have tried unsuccessively to grow it when I was a novice gardener. Maybe I shall try again.
I like them sliced thin in salads for some crunch. ... Posted by bjf826 (from Tallahassee, FL) on February 3, 2008 at 1:53 PM: I must admit I have never tried these - even wondered what in the world they were when seeing them in the produce section. Your article makes me want to give them a try now. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Barb ... Posted by girlgroupgirl (from Atlanta, GA) on February 3, 2008 at 2:57 PM: I began growing these down here in Georgia as I had a very hard time finding them fresh. They are one of my favorite vegetables and I like them raw too, like your son.
However, I like kohlrabi best because of it's alien shape! What fun they are to grow in the garden.
GGG ...
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