Kohlrabi is often one of those forgotten vegetables. Confession time: I had never even heard of kohlrabi until several years ago. I first heard of kohlrabi when it popped up in my favorite cookbook: Amy Thielen’s The New Midwestern Table. The recipe calls to serve kohlrabi raw on ice with a spiced salt. The salt has coriander, fennel, and a hint of cayenne. Simple but fabulous. I grew kohlrabi for the first time this year, and so when I harvested it this past weekend I – of course – had to make the dish that first introduced me to this lovely vegetable.

I also did not want to waste all the beautiful greens that came with my kohlrabi bulbs. So I sautéed them up with a healthy amount of olive oil and garlic and served them as a side dish with dinner.

I was surprised at how much I loved the greens. They were like a cross between collards, swiss chard, and cabbage. The kohlrabi bulb wasn’t as sweet as I was expecting; it had a spiciness to it similar to a radish. It was good, but I wonder if in the future I can modify my “gardening techniques” to grow a sweeter bulb. Regardless I am very happy with my first homegrown kohlrabi!