I came across this book on a co-workers desk, "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth" by Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.. My first instinct was to look up the vegetables and foods that we eat the most at our house. With summer coming to a close on us, our kohlrabi are all ripe for the picking.
I found out that this member of the cabbage family not only looks like a cross between an octopus and a space capsule, but the name comes from the German kohl (cabbage) plus rabi (turnip).
We eat this natural organic food raw and generally rinsed and straight out of our garden. As you can see
from the image on the right, they are getting quite large and need to be eaten up! The book also states that both the leaves and the stem are edible, which I assume you would have to eat cooked, well worth the try!
Kohlrabi and its relatives, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage kohlrabi, all contain important phytochemicals such as cancer-fighting indoles, sulforaphane, and isothiocynates. They are also a good source of vitamin C (983 mg per cup) and an excellent source of potassium. They are not, however, a good vitamin D source. But talk about a nutritious snack... only 36 calories per cup and you get 5 grams of fiber in that as well.
I don't plan on experimenting with any kohlrabi recipes but I have researched and here are some ideas:
After peeling the outer layer of you kohlrabi off with a paring knife you may:
- Grate into salads as added fiber
- Substitute in recipes calling for radishes
- Add it to this Two Cabbage Coconut Slaw recipe
- If the leaves attached to the kohlrabi bulb are fresh and green, they can be eaten as a fresh 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 Swanson Organic Olive Oil or butter. Season with Swanson Himalayan Crystal Salt and Swanson Organic Peppercorns. Add a splash of vinegar or squeeze of fresh lemon juice.