This year’s fresh out of the garden kohlrabi harvest! Kohlrabi is greeted with eager anticipation from some and scrunched up “icky” faces from others!

Last night I finally harvested my three kohlrabi plants.  After doing some research, I realize I probably should have done it last week.  The ideal size for taste is approximately a 2-3 inch diameter.

I brought two of the kohlrabi from my garden in to work today and discovered that apparently I am the only person who appreciates this vegetable.   My daughter Aurora happened to be in the office for a while this morning and after much cajoling, reluctantly put a tiny piece of kohlrabi in her mouth and started chewing.  Looking like a cat about to tarnish the floor with a hairball, she started making gagging noises and heaving her shoulders up and down.   Sheree in our office quickly told her to spit it out before we all started following her lead.  She did and I’m pretty sure that she won’t be trying kohlrabi again anytime soon, or probably ever.

I wanted to learn more about this vegetable that my aunt Nora in Oregon and my Mom & Dad absolutely love but my children run screaming from.

Here’s what I learned:

Merriam Webster Dictionary says:  “a cabbage (Brassica oleracea gongylodes) having a greatly enlarged, fleshy, turnip-shaped edible stem; also : its stem used as a vegetable”

Wikipedia says:  “The name comes from the German Kohl (“cabbage”) plus Rübe ~ Rabi (Swiss German variant) (“turnip“), because the swollen stem resembles the latter, hence its Austrian name Kohlrübe. Kohlrabi is a very commonly eaten vegetable in German-speaking countries.”

Juicing For Health website says: “Kohlrabi is found to be rich in dietary fiber, carotenoids, vitamins A, C, K and the B vitamins.  As with the other vegetables in this family, it is rich with various anti-oxidants that protect against colon and prostate cancer.”

And check out the Vegetarians in Paradise newsletter for a GREAT article about kohlrabi, including how to select it, how to prepare it and a great recipe as well!

Personally, I think kohlrabi has the texture of a potato and tastes somewhat like a mild radish.  I’ve never eaten it cooked, only raw, but I always enjoy it!

What are your thoughts on kohlrabi?  Do you enjoy it or do you scratch your heads and wonder how people can eat that weird veggie? 😉