Pickled Kohlrabi

I thought about taking a photo of this batch, but it just looks like some white vegetable in a pickling brine in a jar. It is not terribly exciting. With the bounty of summertime vegetables, the kohlrabi was never at the top of my list of things to buy. It is part of the cabbage family and as such, it will probably cause bloating and gas if you consume a lot of it in one sitting. At the very least, it is very high in fiber. And, for its bulk, it is very low in calories. Compared to other vegetables, it is kind of expensive to buy and not all the grocery stores carry them. They are seasonal and I was surprised to see them on the grocery store shelf during summer. I thought they were an autumn vegetable. Anyhow, onto the pickling...

After peeling the kohlrabi with a vegetable peeler and trimming off the hard, woody part of the stem with a sharp knife, I used the narrow blade disc attachment of the food prep machine to slice all the kohlrabi. With a little prep, I was able to slice a couple pounds of this vegetable in a few minutes. It's a lot easier than slicing the vegetable by hand.

If you have pickling salt, by all means use it. I do not and am using sea salt as a substitute.

Pickling Brine

2 lbs kohlrabi, purple or white (doesn't matter which)
2 c distilled white vinegar (or 1 c distilled white vinegar + 1 c apple cider vinegar)
2 c water
2 tbsp raw honey
2 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1/4 tsp red chili flakes

Directions

1. Sterilize jars and lids for canning and set aside until ready to use.

2. Clean and trim kohlrabi. Slice into thin slices with a food processor, mandoline, or with a sharp knife. Divide slices evenly into jars.

3. Combine vinegar, water, honey, sea salt, ginger, garlic, black peppercorns, and chili flakes in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add brine to jars. Place lids on jars and tighten with jar bands.

4. Process using a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

This batch made 3 pints.