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It Looks Like... We're Not Sure, But Kohlrabi is One Tasty Veggie
It Looks Like... We're Not Sure, But Kohlrabi is One Tasty Veggie
Farmers' Markets
DENISE MILLER
For the Journal
At the Belen Farmers' Market, kohlrabi samples were offered.
Plain, raw kohlrabi. What were Pamela French and Joe Towner of Two Black Sheep Farm thinking as they presented slices of this mysterious spaceship-shaped vegetable to unsuspecting passers-by?
"I wasn't that familiar with kohlrabi before we started growing it," French said. "It was Joe's idea. So I figured if I didn't know what it tasted like, other people might be surprised by it, too."
They sell out of kohlrabi every week within 10-15 minutes, Towner said. The only kohlrabi French and Towner have had a chance to eat this season are the ones they sampled at the market.
Kohlrabi is an odd looking vegetable with a spherical middle that has stems and leaves shooting out like spokes. Sometimes misclassified as a root vegetable (it really looks like one), this green, white or purple veggie is part of the cabbage family. Its name means cabbage-turnip in German.
To taste kohlrabi is to be pleasantly surprised. Its taste and texture are similar to a broccoli stem or cabbage heart, but milder and sweeter, with a higher ratio of flesh to skin. The young stem can be as crisp and juicy as an apple, although much less sweet.
When young and tender, kohlrabi is great raw, thinly sliced for a snack or diced and added to a salad. I also add it to a stir fry and I found it a good addition to vegetable soup. Towner, who said people can eat it any way they eat a turnip, also suggested braising the kohlrabi, then sprinkling it with Parmesan cheese.
Cooking vegetables is a lot less difficult than growing them, and Towner, an engineer by trade, says the greatest challenge of farming for him is its unpredictability.
"Two and two is always four, but I never expected that our shoulder-high squash plants would get decimated by hail during second week of August," he said.
While French grew up helping her mother tend huge gardens and fruit trees on the same 1.3 acres in Los Chavez (between Los Lunas and Belen) that she now farms, she let the land go to seed for a long time. Then her good friend Towner, who lives in Albuquerque, suggested they give farming a try and take the land out of retirement.
While French juggles her schedule of teaching elementary school and farming, Towner travels by train to the farm two or three times a week to help French plant, water, weed and harvest.
"This year was a big experiment," Towner said, but it seems to be one that is generally working. Not sure what would thrive, they tried growing a lot of everything. They said they've done well with squash, eggplant, corn, beans, cucumbers, carrots, radishes, greens, broccoli and, of course, kohlrabi.
French and Towner then staked out ground at the Belen Farmers' Market so they could get a taste of selling their produce and see what customers want.
"It was hard deciding what to charge," French said, "so we looked at grocery store prices and then tried to come up with what we thought was fair."
Towner and French are planning what they will do differently next year. Investing in irrigation infrastructure, shade cloth and maybe a tractor are high on their list.
"We'd starve to death if we were relying solely on my farming skills, but there is nothing as rewarding as farming and having a little bit of control over our lives and feeding ourselves," Towner said.
Kohlrabi may not replace a household's favorite veggies. But when people see this ultracool-looking vegetable, they might think about the fun of trying something new, just as French and Towner did this year.
Those visiting the Belen market Friday afternoons at shady Anna Becker Park in the middle of town should be sure to say hello to one of the season's newly anointed farming pairs.
FEATURED GROWERS: Pamela French and Joe Towner, Two Black Sheep Farm
WHERE TO FIND THEM: Belen Farmers' Market
FEATURED CROP: Kohlrabi. It is a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and vitamin C. It is low in fat, cholesterol, sodium and calories.
SEASON: Spring crop runs June through early September; Fall crop runs late September until end of October.
