Kohlrabi

This is a mild, cabbage-like vegetable. It looks like a turnip growing above-ground. It has edible white, green, or purple bulbs, which are actually swollen stems. 

Cultivation

Kohlrabi grows in loose, average soil.

For a spring crop, direct-sow seeds 4 to 6 weeks before the last average frost; plant ¼ inch deep, 10 seeds per foot. Or start seedlings for a fall crop indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last average frost. When seedlings are around 4 inches tall, thin plants to (or set out transplants at) 5 inches apart in rows 1 foot apart.

Keep plants well watered, mulched and free of weeds. Cultivate carefully to keep from damaging delicate, shallow roots.

Harvest

Harvest immature “bulbs” when they are no more than 2 inches in diameter, cutting the stems 1 inch below the
swollen stem. Remove the leaf stems and leaves, and use the remaining stem as you would turnips.

Storage

Kohlrabi will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator and for several months in a cold, moist, root cellar.

Culinary Uses

Excellent for salads and stir-fry, kohlrabi has a cabbage-turnip taste, but milder and sweeter.