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Kohl Rabi
(Brassica oleracea
L.
Gongylodes
group)
If you have never tried eating
a Kohl Rabi, you are in for a
treat. Unlike a turnip, the "globe" that you eat develops on top of the soil.
This makes them resistant to maggot damage. They have a very
mild, turnip-cabbage taste. Because of their mild flavor,
many kids love them. This popular European vegetable is
gaining popularity here in the U.S.
Like
most brassica or cole crops, kohl rabi grow best in cool
weather. Little growth occurs above about 75ºF and they tend
to become woody and fibrous. Plant in early spring for a
summer harvest and again in late summer for fall and winter
harvests.
Plant
seeds about 1/4 inch deep in rows two feet apart. Thin plants to
four inches apart in the row. Kohl rabis
require fertile soil and ample soil moisture for best results.
According
to the USDA nutritional data, they are
a good source of vitamin C and potassium and are low in both
sodium and calories. One cup of diced and cooked kohlrabi contains
140% of the recommended daily allowance for vitamin C and only 40
calories.
[
Click here for preparation information
]
[ Click here for historical information ]
[ Click here for seed saving information ]
(Approximately 250
to 300
seeds per gram)
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Delicatesse,
Blue
60 days — Similar in size and color to
'Purple Vienna' except exhibits more
uniformity in growth and disease resistant. |
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Delicatesse,
White
60 days — Similar to White Vienna except exhibits more
uniformity in growth and disease resistant. |
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Early
Purple Vienna
55 days — Standard home garden and
market variety. The skin of the bulbs have a purplish hue
and the flesh is greenish-white. These are best enjoyed when
they are 2 to 2-1/2 inches in diameter, before they become woody. |
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Early
White Vienna
55 days — The meat of this variety is very sweet and mild,
creamy-white in color and tasting like a mild turnip. |
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Preparing
and Using Kohl Rabi:
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prepare kohl rabi you must first remove the stems and
leaves by either cutting or pulling them off. The
leaves are mild in flavor and can be added to a salad as
a green. Next,
peel the outer skin and remove the root end as it tends
to be tough. |
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| Personally,
I love to eat kohl rabi freshly peeled and raw.
Some of our family like them with a little salt or cut
into julienne and dipped into ranch dressing.
They also can be diced or grated into tossed salads or
grated and made into a slaw. Kohl rabi make a great
snack in a bag lunch. |
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Along
with eating them raw, kohl rabi can be cooked in many ways. They
can be diced and steamed, along with the leaves. You also
might want to try cubing, marinating in a little olive oil and
your favorite seasonings, wrapping in foil, and grilling for 10
minutes or so on the barbeque. Kohl rabi also stir fry
well.
Storage
Kohl rabi
will store very well fresh for weeks in sealed plastic bags in
the crisper section of your refrigerator.
They
can also be frozen. Select small to medium bulbs, wash,
peel, and either leave whole, or dice in 1/2 inch cubes.
Water blanch whole kohl rabi for 3 minutes and cubes for 1
minute.
Cool
quickly in cold water, drain and package in freezer weight
plastic bags leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Seal, label and
freeze.
Nutritional
Facts
Serving
Size 100 g. raw
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Amount
Per Serving
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| Calories |
25
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| Total
Fat |
0g |
| Protein |
2g |
| Carbohydrates |
6g |
| Dietary
Fiber |
4g |
| Minerals |
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Sodium |
20mg |
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Potassium |
350mg |
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Calcium |
24mg |
| Vitamin
C (100% RDA) |
62mg |
Nutrition Data Source: USDA
Nutrient Database |
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| A
Brief History of the Kohl
Rabi There
are many different horticultural forms (or races) of the
species, Brassica oleracea. This includes cabbage,
kale, broccoli, cauliflower and kohl rabi. They all had wild
cabbage as a parent.
"Kohl
rabi"
is a word adopted from the German language where Kohl means
cabbage and Rabi meaning turnip. It apparently was
developed in northern Europe shortly before the 16th century.
The
first published description was made by a botanist in 1554 and
by the end of the 16th century it was known in Germany, England,
Italy, Spain, Tripoli, and the eastern Mediterranean. It
was cultivated in larger scale in Ireland by the 1730s, England
by the 1830s and records of cultivation in the United States
dates back to the early 1800s.
Kohl rabi
is a biennial requiring part of two growing seasons, with
wintertime in between, if you are intent on producing and saving
seed. |
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