The Kohlrabi Results

So did anyone wonder how the kohlrabi turned out? I decided to go with a slaw to serve with a dish prepared and share over on Rockin' the Kitchen (our sister blog) but I might as well share the recipe here as well!

Since the kohlrabi I had was so huge, and every recipe I had said to use small ones, I was very nervous about texture, so I grabbed a jicama at the store- just in case I had a woody ball of yuck- and began to butcher the beast. Turns out it was perfectly fine, much easier to peel than other people said, and not woody at all. Since I had the jicama I decided to use it as well and ended up saving half the kohlrabi to try something different later.

Anyway, here is the slaw recipe, and then we will talk about where it fit in the menu.

Jicama, Kohlrabi and Carrot Slaw

• 2 cups jicama, cut into matchsticks
• 2 cups raw kohlrabi, cut into matchsticks
• 1 cup carrot, shredded or cut into matchsticks
• 3 or 4 scallions, sliced, including green tops
• salt and pepper
• 2 limes
• 1/2 cup oil
• 3 tb honey
• 1 cup cilantro leaves (or Italian parsley)

Combine the vegetables in a large bowl. Zest the limes and add to vegetables. Season well with salt and pepper. Juice the limes into small bowl. Stir in honey till dissolved. Whisk in oil. Pour over vegetables and toss well. Add cilantro right before serving and toss again.

I must say, I immediately fell in love with this weird looking veggie and I'm so mad I wasted all these years to "I don't like it" whining. It was delicious. Crispy and fresh, plus the lime added just a lovely kick of acid, while the honey tamed it all down nicely. I made tacos al pastor and used the slaw to top the tacos instead of the Americanized cheese, sauce and lettuce, tomato, etc. Tacos al pastor are made with thinly sliced roasted pork that has been seasoned with a chili pepper mixture and basted with pineapple. So delicious- you should check out Rockin' the Kitchen and try it. I came up with a MUCH easier version that the normal spit-roasted kind. I had to keep the heat a little tam for our guests but you can pepper it as little or as much as you like.

Now.........what to do with that other half of the kohlrabi.............. 

Summer at the Little Lake House

June is now behind us, and July is starting off cool and breezy. Perfect weather, two days after a tornado moved through our county and caused a little chaos. We are nearing the end of the Invasion of the Cicadas, which can't come quick enough for me! Gardens are producing, and the Farmers Market offerings are growing by the week. Today I was finally able to get some gooseberries- my jam making plan is finally going to happen! 

I also bought my first kohlrabi. Growing up my parents always had a garden in the summer, and my dad always grew these (my mom was from Germany and it's a common vegetable there) but I, being a kid, saw this weird looking THING sitting on the counter and decided I didn't like it. Now that I am all grown up I am going to try this versatile veggie and discover what I've been missing all these years. I'm going to play with some dressing ideas and probably make a fresh and citrusy slaw, so stay tuned for that.

Driving home along the back roads I snapped a few pics of the beautiful countryside in west central Iowa. Ditches filled with lilies stretch on forever. Many people in the city don't even realize the daylilies they spent good money on in garden centers are actually a common wildflower.

The Iowa wild rose has finished blooming but the thistles, even though they are a weed, are still very beautiful and attract lots of flying visitors for a sweet snack.

One of my favorite things about living in the country is the incredible amount of food that's just everywhere. Wild plums line the road sides. Abandoned farms often have apple trees, old rhubarb and asparagus patches. Mulberries, gooseberries and wild blackberries are everywhere, if you're brave enough to wade through the tall grass and woods to get to the delicious treasures.

Today as I was driving home something off the side of the road caught my eye. Green leaves, flash of red. I stop, back up and I can't believe my eyes- it's a Nanking cherry! Guess who is coming back with a couple of buckets? My brain has been in cherry overload ever since. My childhood home had a Nanking cherry tree and my mom made many pies over the years, so I'm thinking pie, jam, cakes, sauces........

Our little container garden is doing fantastic! I picked the last of the lettuce and the first HUGE harvest of basil, which makes me very happy. While I know fresh is best, when it's the long cold Iowa winter, dried basil comes in handy too, so I dry quite a lot- enough to last all winter. The Serrano chilies are coming along wonderfully, and loads of blooms on the Habaneros. It's time to replant something in the lettuce and kale pots, and I'm thinking bush beans. Lots and lots of blooms and baby tomatoes are all over the tomato plants, including the volunteers. That's very exciting to me. The corn........still not sure what to expect there. Zucchini are not getting pollinated so I might not get as many as I'd hoped. The lentils......are just a wild and crazy fernlike plant. I have no idea what that will look like, but it's fun to see what it does.

As July unfolds at the lake, we'll be seeing tomatoes and peppers and lots of other good things from the farmers market. I hope you will check in from time to time and see what we're up to at the Little Lake House.

** Gooseberry picture courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.