Fresh kohlrabi recognize leaves are healthy and tasty

Kohlrabi is healthy. But how do you know if it is still fresh? For this, the leaves must be carefully examined. They indicate the freshness of the versatile vegetable. The leaves should not be disposed of, they are also good recyclable and contain many valuable ingredients.

A "typical German" vegetable is now being harvested again in the Rhineland: Kohlrabi. In the Rhineland, the harvest of tender tubers has started these days and until November, the delicious vegetables are now offered fresh daily, says the Provincial Association of Rhenish fruit and vegetable farmers (Bonn).

Picture: pilipphoto - fotolia

It is a little puzzling that kohlrabi are grown for the German market in other European countries during the winter months, but that delicious vegetables are actually consumed almost exclusively in Germany. The tubers are so versatile that they fit almost every dish. As delicious raw food, steamed as vegetables, fried as a vegetable slice, as an ingredient for stews or mixed vegetables or also filled with minced meat: Kohlrabi can do almost anything.

In taste, it does not matter if the tubers are green or purple. Since the purple varieties require a slightly longer culture time, they are rarely grown.
Kohlrabi are always marketed with foliage. On the foliage can be seen very well, if the vegetables are fresh. The foliage should always be green and never wither. However, as the foliage of the tuber deprives moisture, it should be removed immediately after shopping. This helps to reduce the evaporation of moisture over the large surface of the leaves.

Kohlrabi can be stored in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator for up to one week. For this purpose, the tubers are best taken in a damp cloth. In order to prevent the interfaces from drying out, sliced ​​vegetables should be packed in cling film. (Sb)