Kohlrabi

A sputnik of a vegetable, kohlrabi is a fast brassica grown for its crisp swollen stem, sown in spring and again for fall. Seven weeks from seed to plate, it fills gaps nothing else fills that quickly.

Growing

Direct sow in April or May and again in early August, thinning to six inches; it also takes to a 3 to 5 gallon bag, three or four to a round. Steady water is the one secret, since checked plants go woody. Harvest at tennis-ball size without sentiment: golf ball is tender, softball is regret. The August sowing sizes up sweeter and holds through October cold without splitting.

Varieties

Kolibri is the crisp purple standard and Winner its green equivalent; Kossak grows to storage size without going woody, if curiosity strikes.

Pests

Flea beetles stipple the seedlings and cabbageworms sample the leaves, though the swollen stem itself goes untouched; a stretch of netting over the young planting covers both at once.

In the kitchen

Peel thick and eat raw: matchsticks, slaw, or slices straight off the knife with salt. It is the vegetable most often finished before it reaches a recipe.