Freaky Fruit: Purple Kohlrabi

 

©Photo by Margarida Correia. Purple kohlrabi at the Norwich Meadows farm stand at the Union Square Greenmarket.

 

Root vegetables are top of the heap when it comes to nature’s weirder bounty.  And now – with the fall season well underway — they’re beginning to make their debuts at farmers markets throughout the city.  Pug-like celeriac, bulbous Jerusalem artichokes and other strange-looking root vegetables can be spotted at many farm stands.  Ever heard of or seen purple kohlrabi?  This unusual vegetable looks like a purple turnip with tentacles.  The “alien turnips” were going for $2 a pound at the Norwich Meadows farm stand at the Union Square Greenmarket on Saturday.

Kohlrabi, a member of the cabbage family, is similar in taste and texture to broccoli stems, only milder and sweeter.  It can be eaten raw or cooked, but the smaller-sized ones are better.  Kohlrabi much bigger than four inches in size tends to be woody, according to Wikipedia.

Kohlrabi is high in fiber and low in calories.  One-half cup of the odd veggie has 2.5 grams of fiber and only 19 calories.  It also contains potassium, calcium, folic acid and vitamins A and C.

Kohlrabi is anything but alien in Kashmir, where it is served for lunch or dinner three to four times a week.

Click here for recipes for kohlrabi.

And click here, here and here for more “Freaky Fruit.”

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