The battle with the weeds has begun in earnest. Up till now, I felt like I was keeping up with the weeds pretty well, but this warm weather after a nice long rain will test my weeding skills.
As a nice surprise this week, we have some beautiful kohlrabi. I had planted some earlier on this spring…and forgot about them. Turns out, I harvested them today and they look very nice. For those of you who do not know what a kohlrabi is, let alone what to do with them, let me explain. Kohlrabi is a member of the brassica family (think cabbage, broccoli, radish, cauliflower, arugula, etc). It is essentially the swollen stem of the plant that we eat, however, the leaves are also edible. Spring kohlrabi is best when picked when about the size of a racquetball. Much bigger than that and the sweet crunchy stem can become woody and tough. There are some fall kohlrabi varieties that can grow to the size of a basketball and still be smooth and delicious. You will need to peel the kohlrabi before eating. The outer layer on the plant, especially near the bottom can be very stringy. A good sharp paring knife works well. The interior will be creamy white. Mostly it is eaten raw (my favorite way), but certainly it is cooked as well (recipe below).
This week we have:
Beet (golf ball sized) – 7lbs
Head lettuce
Kohlrabi – 8lbs
Zucchini – 6lbs
Pickling cukes (small size) – 6 lbs
Pickling cukes that got away from and are bigger, but still delicious – 5 lbs
Shelling peas – 5lbs
Snap peas (edible pod) – 6.5 lbs
Green beans – 2.5 lbs
Basil
Garlic Scapes (still have a few left!)
That’s all for now! Have a great week and let us know if you would like any produce!
Kohlrabi with Honey Butter
1 pound kohlrabi (4 to 5 small), peeled and cut into ¼-in. strips
1 med. carrot, cut into 1/8-in. strips
1 Tbsp. minced chives
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 tsp. honey
¼ tsp. grated lemon peel
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 lemon slices
In a large skillet, bring 1 in. of water, kohlrabi and carrot to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 6-10 min. or until crisp-tender. In a small bowl, combine the chives, lemon juice, butter, honey, lemon peel and pepper. Drain vegetables and transfer to a serving bowl. Add honey butter and toss to coat. Garnish with lemon slices. Yield: 4 servings.
