Kohlrabi – space alien or vegetable?

At BC Farm Fresh this vegetable is often the subject of many jokes; we’re fascinated by its strange looks. In apology to the jokes we’ve made at the expense of kohlrabis; today’s blog will feature this great vegetable. And we’ll try to limit kohlrabi jokes! (Sorry one more; don’t you think it looks like a cross between an octopus and an UFO?)

The name comes from the German word kohl meaning cabbage and the Swiss German word rübe/rabi meaning turnip. It’s a member of the brassica family; yes another one of those wonder nutrient and antioxidant rich vegetables like cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower.

The taste and texture of kohlrabi are similar to those of a broccoli stem or cabbage heart, but milder and sweeter. We’ve often found a young plant can be as crisp and juicy as an apple, although less sweet. If you love crunch, this is a great vegetable to add to a salad. In fact, fresh in a salad is our favorite was to enjoy this vegetable.

A kohlrabi has two distinct fibrous layers that do not soften appreciably when cooked. Peel these layers away prior to cooking or eating raw.

As mentioned, it’s a nutrient power house! It has only 27 calories per 100 grams, a negligible amount of fat, and zero cholesterol. It provides 62 mg of vitamin-C per 100 gram weight; about 102% of RDA. It especially contains good amounts of many B-complex groups of vitamins such as niacin, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), thiamin, pantothenic acid, etc.

So what if it looks like it might fly out of your grocery bag or climb up the kitchen wall.