Kohlrabi: A healthy alternate to the potato

When we imagine an extra-terrestrial meal, we imagine a plate filled with otherworldly veggies. We imagine bright colors, wild leaves, and new shapes. Honestly, what we picture looks a lot like a lesser-known Earth vegetable, Kohlrabi.

Maybe you've seen kohlrabi for sale at your local farmer's market & thought to yourself, "I neither know what that thing is & I certainly don't know how to prepare it"

Well, we're here to de-mystify this special vegetable while giving you a super easy way to prepare it.

What is kohlrabi?

Fairly popular in Europe, kohlrabi is also known as a German turnip. It's in the same family as broccoli and cabbage. In our hügels, kohlrabi's large, colorful leaves blend right in with kale and other leafy greens (the leaves even taste a lot like kale!). It isn't until you look passed the leaves that you notice the purple bulbs sprouting from the soil. We grow kohlrabi because it is an excellent companion plant, it can grow all year long, and every bit of it can be enjoyed. Even better, kohlrabi is nutritious too! It is high in fiber, calcium, and potassium. Tip: buy your kohlrabi with the leaves attached to maximize the nutritional content & freshness.

How do you prepare kohlrabi?

We love kohlrabi fries as a lower calorie, lower carb alternative to potato fries. It's a super easy recipe that gives you the satisfaction of french fries without actually deep frying anything.

Recipe: Baked Kohlrabi Fries

We adapted this recipe comes from our friends over at Fresh Fork Market

Ingredients:

2-3 kohlrabi cabbages, leaves removed

2-3 tbsp sunflower, olive, avocado, or coconut oil

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 tsp sea salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Turn your oven to 425 and grease or line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Peel kohlrabi

3. Cut kohlrabi into wedges, like french fries

4. Mix spices together in a small bowl

5. Toss with the oil and cover generously in your spice blend

6. Roast for 30 minutes, tossing halfway and rotating the pan. Serve right away with a dipping sauce.

To infuse: Follow the dosing instructions included on the Bird Valley Organics FSO box. Mix your FSO dose in with a tbsp of oil. After roasting your kohlrabi, drizzle the fries with your infused oil & enjoy!