Preserving Kohlrabi

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Kohlrabi  is an unusual vegetable that many people are unfamiliar with until they see it at a farmer’s market or it shows up in their weekly CSA box. It is a Brassica so in the same family as cabbage, turnips, kale, etc. I learned about kohlrabi about six years ago when my husband’s aunt with German/Hungarian heritage was visiting us from out of state. We were at the local farmer’s market when she pointed out the kohlrabi and explained what it was since we had never seen it before. She told us that her family often ate kohlrabi in Germany when she was a child. We bought some kohlrabi which she prepared for us in several different family recipes. We loved it! Since then, I try to grow kohlrabi in our garden and preserve kohlrabi to eat year round. 
how to preserve kohlrabi montana homesteader

Preparing and Chopping Kohlrabi

When growing kohlrabi, it is important to harvest it before it gets too big. If it gets too big, the kohlrabi will be woody and difficult to chew. To prepare the kohlrabi for preserving, cut off the root and leaves. Set the leaves aside since those can also be preserved. The outer skin of the kohlrabi bulb is thick so peeling it like a potato is not sufficient to remove the tough outer skin. Using a sharp knife, cut about 1/4″ off the outside of the kohlrabi. how to peel and chop a kohrabi montana homesteader

We use preserved kohlrabi to make our family recipe for Kohlrabi Soup so I always slice the kohlrabi into bite size pieces. Once the kohlrabi bulb is chopped, sit it aside and get out the kohlrabi leaves. Cut the thick stems off the leaves since they are too tough to eat. Slice the leaves horizontally into thin strips about 1/4″ wide. 

Blanching Kohlrabi 

Like most of the vegetables we preserve, we blanch the kohlrabi and freeze it. To blanch kohlrabi, place the chopped bulb pieces and leaf slices in boiling water for two to three minutes. I use a pot like this one which makes it quick and easy to blanch vegetables. Remove the kohlrabi from the boiling water and immediately place it in ice water to complete the blanching process. Once the kohlrabi has cooled, remove it from the ice water and lay it on a kitchen towel to remove some of the moisture. I preserve our kohlrabi in two cup quantities since that is about the right amount to make a batch of soup for our family of four. We use our beloved vacuum sealer to package the kohlrabi for the freezer. 
 
Preserving kohlrabi is a great way to be able to eat locally grown produce in some of our favorite family recipes year round. Have you tried preserving kohlrabi? What are your favorite ways to prepare it? 

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12 Comments

    1. Wow, I’ve never heard of pickling kohlrabi but I think I’ll have to give it a try!

      1. We julienne kohlrabi and carrots, toss in some black peppercorns, and a cayenne pepper and pickle it in the fridge in quart-sized jars. It’s pretty spectacular on its own, as part of a meat/cheese spread, a crunchy slaw with pulled pork or summer side dish.

  1. I never knew you could preserve kohlrabi. I’m going to try it out next time we get some at the market. Thanks!

    1. The grocery stores around here don’t sell kohlrabi so preserving it is a great way to be able to eat it year round. Good luck!

  2. I am enjoying your site I was just thinking this morning I have spinach down stairs what can I do with it well I thank you for your instructions on blanching and freezing I do dehydrate spinach, wasn’t sure exactly how to do it by freezing and not having it go to mush. Will give this a go thanks for all the info.

  3. I’ve grown kohlrabi for several years and all posts I’ve read concerning how to peal are too extreme. I found that one can simply get the paring knife under the tough fibrous layer on the bottom and pull that layer up toward the top. Over 2/3 of the outer layer will come off. Very simple trimming after that.

  4. Well use KohlRabbi like you use cabbage, so we have lots of coleslaw all summer. Thanks for the tip on how to freeze it. We make a dish with kohlrabbie, oinions, potatoes, carrots and a ring of Polish saugage. It’s delsih.

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