Friday, April 16, 2010

The strange and unusual...


I've always been one for trying new things and since gardening to me is such an experimental thing, I like to try out new things in the garden to see how they turn out. Here is my experiment for this year: KOHLRABI...not sure how you cook with it or eat it, but it's apparently really good. You plant it the same time you put your lettuce in. Here is some info I found on it:


"An heirloom vegetable introduced before 1860, kohlrabi is a root vegetable with a bright purple skin and white flesh. The flesh is tender with a mild, cabbage-turnip flavour. Pick when small, golf-ball-sized, as they become fibrous with age. Use cooked or grated raw in salads. Sow early spring or late summer to winter. This is a very hardy vegetable and easy to grow."from greenharvest.com/au

Purslane on the other hand is another experiment that I'm not sure how I feel about. This is what I've found on it:

"Purslane/Pigweed from Weed to Vegetable: Scientists report that purslane Portulaca oleracea, which is palatable either raw or cooked, is extremely high in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been claimed to reduce the risk of heart disease. It also contains levels of Vitamin E, 6 x higher than spinach. (Reference: Hortideas 10 (2))" from greenharvest.com/au

If you don't recognize it, you should as you begin weeding your garden this year...I know in all the gardens I've had across Utah, this has been a weed in all of them. Who knew it was a better vegetable than Spinach! So if you get a little hungry while weeding your garden, go ahead...I guess...and take a bite out of crime! Tell me what you think!



2 comments:

AJ said...

Funny that that weed is so good for you because I used to eat it all the time when I was a kid. I would pick the leaves and eat them. It is a major pain as a weed though. I guess I should have just picked it to eat it instead of just throwing it out!

Yomama said...

I think you will like kohlrabi a lot; and who knew that weed was a good food (or that AJ used to eat it)?!?
I always learn from you, Beaner - love it! Love you - Karla