Kohlrabi is crispy, crunchy, and it has a mild cabbage flavor (it is a brassica, after all). If you shred it you can use it as a substitute in any recipe that calls for shredded cabbage. It's a small plant, it's fast growing, and even if cabbage worms and loopers attack it they don't really do any significant damage. It's pretty much the only brassica I grow besides turnips and radishes. Also, if you overwinter it then the following spring it will produce florets not unlike broccoli in flavor, although much smaller. I apologize for rambling but it happens to be one of my favorite veggies. lol I'll be planting mine in a couple weeks or so. If you can keep it alive through the heat then it will last well into fall, it laughs at frost. And I'm direct seeding mine. Rodney

Definitely a plant for the compost, IMO! But if you like it, you might like these recipes: Kohlrabi with Basil 700g kohlrabi, peeled and thinly sliced 60g beef dripping 300ml beef stock salt and pepper 2 tablespoons chopped basil Melt the dripping in a frypan and cook the kohlrabi gently, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes. Heat the stock and add it to the pan, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, until just soft. Add salt, pepper and basil, turn off the heat, cover the pan and leave for 4 minutes. Put the kohlrabi onto a serving dish, pour the juices over. Goes well with roast or grilled lamb. Kohlrabi with Herb Sauce 700g small kohlrabi, peeled and coarsely grated 150ml mayonnaise 150ml plain yoghurt 2 hardboiled egg yolks 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard salt and pepper 1 tablespoon chopped dill 1 tablespoon chopped chives 1 tablespoon chopped parsley Mix mayonnaise and yoghurt together until smooth. Mash egg yolks with the mustard, then stir the yoghurt mixture into them. When smooth, season to taste with salt and pepper, stir in the herbs. Pour over the kohlrabi, mix well and serve as an entr. The sauce can be used with other vegetables, or as a dip for raw vegetables, or with mixed salads. Parmesan Baked Kohlrabi breadcrumbs for dusting 3 cups sliced kohlrabi (3mm thick) 1 tablespoon butter, melted 2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs, extra 1/8 teaspoon pepper Cook kohlrabi in boiling water until just tender, about 7-10 minutes. Toss with the melted butter. Arrange kohlrabi in greased pan, dusted with breadcrumbs. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and extra breadcrumbs and pepper. Bake for 1 hour at 180°C or until topping is browned. Scalloped Kohlrabi 185g onion, thinly sliced 4g butter 1kg kohlrabi 200ml milk salt and freshly ground pepper chopped fresh parsley to garnish Soften the onion in 30g butter in a covered pan. Thickly peel the kohlrabi to remove all the woody outer layer. Slice thinly and layer with the onions and seasoning in a lightly buttered shallow ovenproof dish, topping with a neat layer of kohlrabi. Pour over the milk and dot with remaining butter. Place on a baking tray and cook in the oven at 200°C for about 1 1/2 hours, until tender. Garnish with chopped parsley for serving. Kohlrabi Pickle Chips 750g-1kg small kohlrabi trimmed of leaves and stems 3 small onions 1/4 cup pickling salt 1 litre ice water 2 cups vinegar 2/3 cup sugar 1 tablespoon mustard seeds 1 teaspoon celery seeds 1/4 teaspoon turmeric Peel and thinly slice kohlrabi and onions. Place in a large bowl. Mix together the pickling salt with the ice water. Pour the water mixture over the kohlrabi and onions and soak for 3 hours. Drain, rinse and place the kohlrabi and onions in a bowl. In a saucepan, place the vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, celery seed and turmeric. Bring to the boil and cook for 3 minutes. Pour the vinegar mixture over the vegetables. Cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Kohlrabi in Cream Dill Sauce 385g kohlrabi 250g carrots 30g butter 1 chicken stock cube 1/2 teaspoon dried dill 150ml cream salt and freshly ground pepper 1 tablespoon cornflour Thickly peel the kohlrabi to remove all the woody outer layer. Slice thinly and cook with the carrots, butter, 300ml water and stock cube for about 10 minutes, until tender. Blend the cornflour with very little cold water and strain in the vegetable liquid, stirring. Return to the boil, stir in the dill and the cream, then adjust seasoning. Bring almost to the boil and pour over the vegetables.

I ended up with four plants and harvested my first Kohlrabi yesterday. I made an itty bitty blender-full of Kohlrabi Puree using the recipe from the blog above. I didn't have any mushrooms and I had to modify the other ingredients since I only had one kohlrabi. My blender rolled its eyes at me and I had to add extra water just to get it to work, so I'm not sure what I ended up with tasted the way it was supposed to, but most of it is still in a bowl in my fridge. : ( It wasn't awful but I think I'll just eat the next one raw - less calories and less dirty dishes. I hate having to wash the blender. My three remaining plants are starting to form a bulb. I think I waited too long on the first one. I chunked it up and boiled it for 15 minutes but the peel was still tough as leather so I peeled it off before I added the chunks to the blender. The stems were also very tough so I tossed those. The puree recipe in the blog uses the leaves also so the stuff turned out quite green. No one else in my family offered to try it and I didn't have the heart to make them. lol

Kohlrabi must be peeled, and has a mild, broccoli like flavor. It makes an excellent and delicate "cream of" soup, is great cooked in stir fries, raw in salads, on crudites trays and slaw. Cubed in soups or stews, sliced and baked au gratin. Good fried, like fried zucchini. Hmm...it suddenly occurs to me that I've never tried roasting it, but I bet it would do well in a mixed roasted veggie dish.