What does kohlrabi cabbage look like: photos and descriptions of the best varieties

Unlike white cabbage, which has long been successfully cultivated on the territory of Our Country on an industrial scale, other types of this crop are not so widespread. However, the trend has changed in recent years. For example, kohlrabi cabbage is now grown not only by amateur gardeners, but also by large farms, although it is still not as popular as its white relative.

Description of kohlrabi cabbage

Scientists associate the appearance of kohlrabi with the Mediterranean region, namely with Ancient Rome. There for the first time there is a mention of this plant as the food of slaves and the poor. Gradually, kohlrabi spread to neighboring countries, but this culture gained wide popularity only after it was cultivated in Germany. Kohlrabi owes its modern name to this country, which literally translates from German as “turnip cabbage”.

The fruit part is a thickened spherical stem

The main difference between kohlrabi and ordinary white cabbage is the absence of the so-called head of cabbage – a rounded formation of leaves tightly adjacent to each other. Despite this, the structure of these two plant species is very similar. The fruiting body of kohlrabi is a stem plant – a strongly thickened stem of a plant. In fact, this is the same stalk, but it is not cone-shaped, like white cabbage, but spherical.

The standard weight of the stem is in the range of 0,3-0,5 kg, but in some varieties this figure can be several times higher. The taste of kohlrabi pulp strongly resembles an ordinary cabbage stalk, but it is softer and more harmonious, it does not have the sharpness characteristic of white-headed species. In the context, the stem crop has a white or slightly greenish color. Kohlrabi cabbage also has leaves, they are few, ovoid or triangular in shape, with very elongated petioles. Unlike ordinary cabbage, they are usually not used for food.

The best varieties of kohlrabi cabbage

Depending on the ripening time, all varieties of kohlrabi cabbage are combined into several groups:

1. Early ripe (up to 70 days).
2. Medium early (70-85 days).
3. Mid-season (85-110 days).
4. Late ripening (over 110 days).

Types of kohlrabi of various ripeness periods, their photos and a brief description are given below.

Early-ripening varieties

Early maturing varieties require 45 to 65 days to reach removable ripeness. Their main use is fresh consumption due to low keeping quality and transportability.

These include:

1. Sonata F This hybrid matures in 60-65 days. The stem is round, weighing about 0,5 kg, of a beautiful lilac-violet color. The leaves are oval, grayish-green, with a bluish bloom and purple veins. The taste of white dense pulp is pleasant, harmonious, without sharpness.
   
   

   Sonata – one of the early ripe hybrids

2. Vienna white 1350. This variety of kohlrabi cabbage was bred in the Soviet Union in the middle of the last century; it has long been successfully grown by many gardeners. The stem is medium-sized, up to 200 g, round-flattened, greenish-white. The rosette of leaves is not numerous and low. Viennese white 1350 ripens in 65-75 days. Used fresh.
   Important! Cabbage of this species is resistant to bolting, but has a weak immunity to clubroot.
   

   Vienna 1350 – a product of Soviet breeders

3. Spicy. Reaches maturity in 70-75 days. Rosette of large oval leaves, semi-raised. The fruit is round, slightly flattened, greenish with a creamy tinge. In good conditions, its weight can reach up to 0,9 kg, but usually the average weight of a stem crop is in the range of 0,5-0,6 kg.
   Important! It has good resistance to lignification, does not crack, and is well stored when planted late.
   

   Piquant can grow to a considerable size

Medium-Early Varieties

Varieties with medium early maturation include:

1. Moravia. A variety of Czech selection that appeared in Our Country at the end of the last century. The stem is medium in size, about 10 cm in diameter, greenish-white. The socket is small, semi-vertical. Differs in juicy white pulp and pleasant saturated taste. The maturation period of Moravia is about 80 days.
   Important! Moravia tends to grow.
   

   Moravia has a good harmonious taste

2. Taste. This variety of kohlrabi cabbage takes 75-80 days to ripen. The stem crop is slightly larger than average, its weight usually ranges from 0,5-0,7 kg. Raspberry skin, thin. The pulp is white, juicy, with a good mild taste.
   
   

   Smak has an unusual color – raspberry

3. Vienna blue. It takes a little longer to mature than Vienna White, taking about 80 days to reach full ripeness. The color of the skin of the stem is purple, the petioles and leaves have the same shade. The leaves are green, few, the rosette is small. The pulp is white, pleasant taste, very juicy.
   
   

   Viennese blue – a very famous variety

Medium-ripening varieties

Mid-season kohlrabi is more versatile. In addition to fresh consumption, it can be canned. She has good keeping quality and transportability.

The most popular varieties are:

1. Cartago F This is a productive hybrid of Czech selection with a ripening period of about 100 days. It has a vertical rosette of oval leaves of dark green color, covered with a wax coating. The average weight of stalks at maturity is 300 g. They are pale green, with delicate white flesh inside. The taste is pleasant, sharpness is absent.
   Important! The hybrid is resistant to lignification and cracking.
   

   Hybrid Cartago F1 – a gift from Czech breeders

2. Blue planet F The stem of this hybrid of kohlrabi cabbage in the stage of ripeness reaches a weight of 0,2-0,25 kg. It is round, light green with a bluish-blue tinge. The pulp is white, dense, pleasant to the taste. The ripening period of kohlrabi Blue Planet F1 is 110-115 days.
   
   

   The stem has a very unusual shade – blue

3. Vienna Blue. Its ripening period is 90-95 days. The fruits are small, weighing about 0,2 kg, lilac-violet in color with a bluish bloom. The peculiarity is that the stem crop is not located on the ground, but above it. Because of this, the Viennese blue almost never outgrows.
   
   

   Viennese blue grows quite high above the ground

Late-ripening varieties

Late varieties of kohlrabi cabbage are the largest in size. Due to the thick skin and dense pulp, they retain commercial properties for a long time, they have an extended shelf life. Late ripening kohlrabi can be canned, put into industrial processing or consumed fresh.

Popular varieties:

1. Giant. This kohlrabi cabbage is really gigantic in size. The stem crop at maturity has a circumference of about 20 cm and can weigh up to 5 kg, while its standard weight is 2,5-3,5 kg. The rosette of leaves is also large, with a diameter of about 0,6 m. It takes 110-120 days to mature. Gardeners unanimously note the unpretentiousness of the Giant, which can grow in almost any region of Our Country.
   Important! Even with such a significant size, the Giant has a good taste, not inferior to early cabbage.
   

   The giant lives up to its name.

2. hummingbird. A variety of Dutch selection. The leaves are bright green, the rosette is semi-vertical. Ripens in about 130-140 days. The stem is oval, lilac, with a bluish bloom, its average weight is 0,9-1 kg. The taste is sweetish, soft and tender, the pulp is very juicy.
   
   

   Hummingbird – kohlrabi of the Dutch breeding school

3. Violetta. Rounded purple stalks of this kohlrabi cabbage ripen in 130-135 days. The average weight of each of them is 1,5 kg. The pulp is dense and juicy, with a good mild taste. The variety is resistant to many diseases, unpretentious. Gardeners love it for its high yield, which is about 4 kg per 1 sq. m.
   
   

   Harvest variety Violetta is loved by many summer residents

Rules for storing kohlrabi cabbage

In order to keep kohlrabi fresh longer, you need not only to prepare the place in advance, but also to harvest it in time. Here are some tips to help you do it right:

1. Kohlrabi is stored for storage on a clear day, when the air temperature drops to + 3-5 ° С.
2. If long-term storage is planned, then the roots of the stem crops are not cut off. They are pulled out along with the ground, the stems are cut off, leaving small stumps, and then put away for storage.
3. Red (purple) varieties of kohlrabi store better than white ones. This must be taken into account when planning a landing.

White kohlrabi has a very short shelf life

It is best to store kohlrabi cabbage for a long time in a cellar with a minimum positive temperature and high humidity. Plucked heads of cabbage can be stuck with roots in the sand or hung on ropes so that the stems do not touch each other. For short-term storage, the fruits can be placed in wooden boxes. There is no need to wash them.

Before freezing, the vegetable must be grated

Another way to store kohlrabi cabbage for a long time is deep freezing. In this case, the stalks are cleaned and rubbed on a coarse grater. Then the semi-finished product is laid out in bags and put into the freezer. The shelf life of frozen kohlrabi is 9 months.

Conclusion

Kohlrabi cabbage is an excellent garden plant that can be used to cook a lot of dishes. However, it is worth remembering that the stem of the plant is able to accumulate nitrates in the same way as the stalk of white cabbage does. Therefore, when cultivating a crop, it is advisable not to use nitrate fertilizers.