October 15's farm share from Glade Road Growing is slated to include spinach, carrots, celery and kohlrabi.
The word "kohlrabi" is German for "cabbage turnip." While in the mustard family--as are are turnips--these veggies are more closely related to cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collard greens, and Brussels sprouts. All of the latter originate from the same species of wild cabbage. In kohlrabi, selective breeding has emphasized the swollen portion of the stem. You can read more information about its origins here.
Kohlrabi can be cooked and are often used in Indian cuisine. The leaves can be sauteed or steamed like other greens. I like them raw, peeled, sliced and added to a salad. Prepared that way, they taste a bit sharp and peppery with texture like jicama.
Here's a recipe for a slaw. If you'd like to make it into a main dish, I suggest serving on a bed of a mixture of 3 cups of cooked hulled barley or wheat berries and 3 cups of cooked black beans.
Serves 6
Peel the hard skin from 2 - 3 kohlrabi. Cut into thin slices and then into matchsticks. Cut 1/2 # unpeeled carrots and 2 tart unpeeled apples the same. In a large bowl toss with 1 tablespoon lime juice to preserve color of apples and kohlrabi.
Photo from Quinne Davey's (twitter) blog post.
Mince 1 small onion and 2 stalks of celery. Place in a quart jar and combine with the other ingredients for dressing, cover with tight lid and shake to mix well:
3/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoons apple juice concentrate
1 tablespoon dry mustard
freshly ground pepper and salt to taste
Toss dressing with veggies and apples to coat. Serve, if desired over, grain and bean mixture. Garnish with 3 TB of chopped fresh cilantro, parsley or chives, as well as a sprinkle of poppy, celery and toasted sesame seeds.
