Farm Photo 8/13/07: Beauty In The Kitchen Garden

Purple Kohlrabi Leaves In The Kitchen Garden

The leaves on purple kohlrabi plants are so stunning they'd be worth growing simply for their looks. But that would be a waste, because they also taste delicious. The cute baby leaves add a healthy boost to salads and are especially welcome in early spring, when the less cold tolerant lettuces and salad greens haven't even been planted yet. The best time to eat kohlrabi leaves, however, is when they're fully mature, and I'll be sharing my favorite way to use this often overlooked portion of the plant soon.

Until then, you might consider sowing a few kohlrabi seeds in your garden for an autumn or early winter harvest. You most often see the green variety of this easy to grow member of the cabbage family for sale in supermarkets and at farmers' markets, but purple kohlrabi seeds aren't hard to come by.

Because they're usually prettier, as well as often more nutritious, when it comes to vegetables my motto is: Why choose green if you can have purple instead?

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