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Gary350
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Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi is a German Turnip Radish. Kohl means turnip, rabi means radish. It tastes like a sweet radish. When greens are ready to eat it is time to harvest. Eat greens like spinach or in salad. Eat soft tender Kohlrabi like an apple or radish. Early White Vienna variety is a 60 day crop.

I have never eaten this and never grown this. Watch the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz9M1MXAoGw

pepperhead212
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I make it all the time, and love it! I still have 5 in the fridge - they store very well. And they usually grow faster than that - Grand Duke and Kolibri are my favorites, GD having much larger leaves. They are usually ready in just over 40 days from transplant. I start them about 3 weeks early, and plant them about 12" apart, and cover, after planting - they are a favorite of the rabbits around here, too.

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digitS'
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Yes. Bugs Bunny favorites :shock:

I don’t seem to be able to eat radish except at the exact right time or it is a heartburn experience. Kohlrabi is different :).

My guess would be that they just might cause me indigestion if I was using them really late in the season but early, I can eat them right out in the garden like an apple. BTW, turnips are not a favorite and it’s been so long since I had a rutabaga, .. :?:

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My father grew kohlrabi every year and loved it. As a youth I ate very few vegetables willingly and that has carried over into my old age. There are more veggies I will eat in the past few years, so we tried kohlrabi a couple of years ago. I discovered again why I wouldn't eat it as a kid. No matter how many people tell me how good some things are, most vegetables are still in the pittui range. Kohlrabi is in that area.

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!potatoes!
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I enjoy kohlrabi raw in salads. I’m gonna guess that you don’t like eating broccoli stems either, PaulF, as they are almost exactly the same vegetable.

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applestar
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I haven’t had success growing kohlrabi, but reading !potatoes! comment makes me wonder if I should try again.

When my DDs were little, I used to serve steamed broccoli as broccoli “trees” and “rocks” … Brocolli Rocks were the stems with tough outer peel removed and tender inner stem portions cut in random chunks into beautiful translucent jade green “rocks” when lightly steamed, and they preferred and fought over the rocks more than the trees :lol:

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!potatoes!, I eat broccoli and the stems are nothing like kohlrabi to my palate. My kohlrabi has a bitter taste to it. But then I tried the kohlrabi raw in slices and also raw in a vinegar, salt and pepper base. Broccoli eaten raw in salads or slightly cooked with melted cheese. Maybe cheese would mask the bitterness of kohlrabi.

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Gary350
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WHEN do you plant Kohlrabi? A month before first frost? 2 weeks before last frost?

If Kohlrabi tastes like broccoli this is something I should grow as a broccoli substitute. Our springs weather is very short, freezing weather then 90 degree weather in 6 weeks June 1st. If I get any broccoli at all it is very small pieces 4 plants might be 1 meal for 1 person.

I have grown radishes but never been able to eat them hot weather makes them spicy hot like a chili pepper or very hot onion and they get woody soon as weather is hot.

Children are funny our kids hated meat loaf but when I fried it in hamburger shapes served on Buns the kids bragged these are best hamburgers in the world we want these every day. LOL. When I turned eating peas 1 by 1 with a tooth pick kids would eat 3 helpings of pea and set at the table for 10 minutes stabbing each pea 1 at a time to eat them all then get more and eat them too. LOL. Kids make life fun.
Last edited by Gary350 on Tue Nov 23, 2021 10:21 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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digitS'
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I would plant kohlrabi seed a month before last frost, a couple of weeks for sure. Sometime in April ...

Our spring weather usually goes from cool and cloudy to sunny and HOT, about the first of July. There aren't too many of the brassicas that can take that heat for long. They might grow okay if planted in mid-August but I haven't tried that. I bet the frosts would really limit the size of the bulbs.

Yes, I'd say that the flavor would be similar to broccoli stems. The crispness of raw kohlrabi would be different.

Steve

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applestar
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I bought kohlrabi seeds, and will aim for some winter experimentation and extra early season starting next year. :-()

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applestar wrote:
Tue Nov 30, 2021 9:55 am
I bought kohlrabi seeds, and will aim for some winter experimentation and extra early season starting next year. :-()
Which seeds did you buy?

I am looking at seeds too there are so many to choose from. My cousin in IL say he buys the yellow kohlrabi at the grocery store they taste best. My friend in Atlanta GA said, I buy the yellow 1s at the grocery store they are good & sweet as an apple. I finally found Grand Duke but price is a bit expensive. Garth's looks yellow in the picture. None of these ADs say yellow. Most places sell 300 or 500 seeds for $1.69 or $2 free postage. I think I will buy kohlrabi at the grocery store to see how they taste. Only 2 grocery stores in town that might have kohlrabi. I have never seen kohirabi plants in any of the local plant stores but I was not looking for kohlrabi then.
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Haha if you are buying seeds by 100’s you won’t like where I buy them from. I like Pinetree (superseeds.com) for their low prices and small packets (40 seeds for kohlrabi) just enough for small bed or even multiple seasons in small bed, which is useful for trying a bunch of different varieties and for growing OP (open pollinated) or HL (heirloom) varieties from which you can collect your own seeds for the following year(s).

But the “low” prices are about the same as for your 100’s of seeds.

I do find them and their seeds to be very reliable and good quality, and I bought the recent batch on 15% off sale.
They have Grand Duke F1 BTW

GRAND DUKE KOHLRABI (F1 HYBRID 50 DAYS)
$ 1.95 / 40 seeds

In the past I tried heirloom kohlrabi like Early White Vienna and Early Purple Vienna without much success (probably mostly gardener error), so I’m trying hybrids — Korist F1 and Kolibri F1 — to compensate for my shortcomings this time. These are listed as 42 day to maturity… I think I need that quick maturing feature due to short to non-existent spring season. And I will be extending the season on the front end by using protected beds this time.

(Early White Vienna is listed as 50 days, and Early Purple Vienna as 60 days at Pinetree, Giant ones could take as long as 80 days.)

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applestar
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I’m finding Yellow kohlrabi seeds being sold in UK and EU stores. Maybe it hasn’t made it into mainstream nor even hobby US gardeners and seed companies yet, but are starting to enter the grocery store consumer market.

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Gary350
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applestar wrote:
Wed Dec 01, 2021 6:31 am
Haha if you are buying seeds by 100’s you won’t like where I buy them from. I like Pinetree (superseeds.com) for their low prices and small packets (40 seeds for kohlrabi) just enough for small bed or even multiple seasons in small bed, which is useful for trying a bunch of different varieties and for growing OP (open pollinated) or HL (heirloom) varieties from which you can collect your own seeds for the following year(s).

But the “low” prices are about the same as for your 100’s of seeds.

I do find them and their seeds to be very reliable and good quality, and I bought the recent batch on 15% off sale.
They have Grand Duke F1 BTW

GRAND DUKE KOHLRABI (F1 HYBRID 50 DAYS)
$ 1.95 / 40 seeds

In the past I tried heirloom kohlrabi like Early White Vienna and Early Purple Vienna without much success (probably mostly gardener error), so I’m trying hybrids — Korist F1 and Kolibri F1 — to compensate for my shortcomings this time. These are listed as 42 day to maturity… I think I need that quick maturing feature due to short to non-existent spring season. And I will be extending the season on the front end by using protected beds this time.

(Early White Vienna is listed as 50 days, and Early Purple Vienna as 60 days at Pinetree, Giant ones could take as long as 80 days.)
My only seed catalog has Kossak Hybrid kohlrabi 10" diameter heads, 50 seeds $3.95 plus postage & tax about $12 total. I will never pay $12 for 50 seeds. I can get seed packs at the garden store & farmers co-op for $2 + Tax. I don't need 300 seeds but for $1.65 free postage it is a good price, cabbage family seeds are always 100% germination and are good for 7 to 10 years. None of the Ebay ADs have information about how many day crop kohlrabi is? I need to go online & read about each type seed. We have very short spring too 30 deg to 90 deg in 6 weeks. I need tennis ball size kohlrabi too about 40 days will be good. I think most important thing will be flavor, if we don't like it we will not eat it.
Last edited by Gary350 on Thu Dec 02, 2021 6:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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digitS'
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Opinion: Harvest when they are round. Don’t wait to see how big they will grow.

They grow quickly and especially if your early-season growing conditions don’t last long. You want them nice and fresh looking not something to brag about the size.

All that means is you have to pay attention to your plants. Inconsequential looking critters at first — it is almost like they develop that special stem overnight.

Steve

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I wait until around 3", or so, but some just wait forever to grow! The kolibri and grand duke get over 4". Kossak is largest, but takes longest - about 4" by 60 days, and up to about 8" x 5" at about 80 days. Only grew that once. Superschmeltz (sp?) Was another extra large one that took much longer, and I only grew once.

I have had much longer times with the vienna heirlooms, both white and purple, as well as some other OP varieties. Which is why I use the Grand Duke and Kolibri from Pinetree. These also get larger, and keep better in the garden, once larger.

One OP variety I got that is good, but still not as good as the two hybrids I always use, is Azure Star. And I got a lot of them - 1 g - from
https://www.gourmetseed.com/index.php?r ... uct_id=239

Unfortunately, they are out of stock there. Same at Johnny's, where they are listed as estimated availability as Feb. 13th. And other places they seemed much more expensive - maybe gourmetseed.com will get them back around February, too. I always get large quantities of seeds there, since they are by weight.

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I found Kohlrabi at Sprouts grocery store bungle of 3 for $2.99

Several recipes look GOOD but wife wants to cook something simple that does not hide the flavor of kohlrabi.

This India recipe looks very good I want try this .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N443VcZycE

This organic lady says, raw kohlrabi is like eating an apple that taste like Cauliflower.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQy0mUmSoTQ

Kohlrabi peals like an apple and slices like an apple too. I cut kohlrabi in small pieces like several recipes show then cooked them in butter with salt & pepper like several recipes say to do. I cooked kohlrabi until it was soft like a cooked potato it tastes like a low carb red Pontiac potato.

Wife said, kohlrabi has almost no flavor, it will take on the flavor of anything you cook it with. It will be good in soup & stir fry. Cooked Kohlrabi tastes like pieces of soft stuff.

Dinner was, chicken, potatoes, kohlrabi.

Raw kohlrabi will be good in a salad & good in stir fry.
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The person who introduced me to kohlrabi was the mother of a college friend of mine, who was born in Germany, and she usually made things like that simple, that let the flavor come through. She would just cube it up (peeled, of course) and bake in some butter, sort of like a Julia Child dish! They tasted almost like a cross of a broccoli stem with a potato, with a hint of turnip.

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I have been trying to decide what to do with these other 2 Kohlrabi. Today we at lunch at Popeye chicken my side was coleslaw. This gave me the idea to make Kohlrabi coleslaw. I remembered watching a video of the organic lady she said, Kohlrabi peals like an apple, slices like an apple, it is crunchy like an apple, it tastes more like cabbage than broccoli.

I pealed a Kohlrabi then sliced and diced it when I realized I should have used the coleslaw grader. 1 T mayo, 1 T bread & butter pickle relish, 1 tsp yellow mustard, 1/2 tsp sugar, sprinkle of salt & black pepper. Stir well, this is very good coleslaw. No coleslaw left for dinner I ate all of it. :)

I saved the empty Popeye coleslaw container it helped make a good photo. 1 Kohlrabi makes 1 serving of very good coleslaw.
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Last edited by Gary350 on Tue Dec 07, 2021 4:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Those slaw type things are great for kohlrabi. There's a Thai salad - som tum - usually made with green papaya (not found outside of Asian markets), and I frequently make that with kohlrabi, and I used to have a disk in my old FP that julienned them perfectly, for this, and other things. It's great in stir fries, to add something crispy, though it's good on its own, as well. Even reheated, it keeps its crunch well. I use it in place of bamboo shoots or water chestnuts, for the crunch, plus, it has flavor, as well, though not overpowering.

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Gary350
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Today I accidently found the last long lost Kohlrabi in the refrigerator so I made coleslaw with, garden relish, mayo, tiny bit of carrot, then I ate it all. 1 Kohlrabi only makes 1 serving of coleslaw.

A grocery store 1 lb bag of coleslaw mixes makes about 8 servings. If I was still 20 years old I would have all the energy & motivation to make 8 Kohlrabi coleslaw but now it is not worth all the work to saving $1.68, I am not growing Kohlrabi.
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