Farmers Market Highlights: The “Alien” Vegetable

From Alejandra Owens at One Bite At A Time

Another weekend, another market trip! Weather.com tells me we’ll have at least partially sunny weather this weekend. Let’s hope it isn’t lying to us! Or that it changes its mind.

Th 14th & U Farmers Market brings us some stuff to really get excited about:

• Brussels sprouts at Truck Patch
• Slices of spiced pumpkin roll at Pecan Meadow. If you love Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, you will flip over these. Lois Shirk inverts her pumpkin whoopie pie and turns it into a pumpkin roll — a yummy, pumpkin spice cake filled with icing that’s made with Keswick’s Quark cheese
• Green Tomatoes everywhere for fried green tomatoes and chutneys
• It is also good cubed and roasted like all root veggies.

Lots of rustic veg at the Dupont Farmers Market this weekend:

• Broccoli rabe, cabbage, radishes, cauliflower, bok choy, tat soi, escarole, collards, kohlrabi, spinach, watercress, fresh shelling beans and Lima beans.

Kohlrabi… what’s that you say? Well I was wondering, too, and when I saw it at the 14th & U Farmers Market I was completely intrigued! I asked Robin what it was and how to cook it, to which she responded:

Kohlrabi is a pale green or purple knob with thin fleshy stalks topped with collard like greens — and it is a chameleon depending on how it is cooked.

Apparently Kohlrabi is also known as German Turnip. Anyway, try these various preparations:

• Grate the peeled bulb with grated carrots for a slaw.
• Cube and sauté in butter and thyme and it becomes a turnip.
• Chop small and add to sauteed onions. Keep covered until softened, then add water to cover. Simmer for a few minutes and purée once it is all quite soft and voila — the best potato cabbage soup even though there are no spuds or cabbage in it!
• Cook the leaves like young collards.

I’m fascinated, so I plan on picking up some Kohlrabi this weekend to experiment with. Have you guys ever cooked with kohlrabi? Any recipes or ideas? Share in the comments!