Quick Pickled Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi is crunchy and crisp and perfect for pickling. At this time of the year, the kohlrabi bulbs get bigger and bigger at the store, making it a great time to make this quick pickle. I make this anytime I see large kohlrabi anywhere. It is hands-down my favorite quick pickle.

Kohlrabi is a kind of magical vegetable like beets and turnips that have both an edible root and greens. Much like kale in taste, the greens can easily be steamed or sauteed and tossed with some olive oil, garlic, and salt for a tasty side dish. Here we are dealing with the bulb though, so look for a bunch with the biggest bulbs you can find. They can be really dirty, so give them a good rinse before you begin.

I typically just peel kohlrabi with a sharp knife, as their outer skin is rather tough. However, if you have smaller ones, you may not need to, as the whole vegetable is edible, but on ones like this it is just way too tough to skip the peeling. If they are really big, it can help to cut them in half before peeling to prevent them from sliding all around.

Quick pickles are those that use vinegar or another acid to pickle a vegetable, as opposed to fermented pickles that take longer and are generally salted and fermented over a longer period of time to achieve a similar sour flavor. This quick pickle takes just a few minutes to make, and is ready in a couple hours, making it perfect for when you need your pickle craving satisfied quickly and don’t have time to wait a week for fermentation.

To make these kohlrabi pickles, you only need a few ingredients beyond the kohlrabi: white wine vinegar, water, garlic, ginger, red chili pepper flakes, a lemon, sugar, and salt. Gather up all the ingredients before you begin so everything moves quickly. I use canning and pickling salt because it is fine and dissolves easily, but you can use sea salt or any other type of salt that does not have additives in it.

First things first- you have to expel some of the water from the kohlrabi so it maintains its crunch. Salt the kohlrabi chunks and let it sit for about an hour, at which time you should be able to pour off a considerable amount of water. I poured off over a 1/2 cup. Pack the salted kohlrabi (without rinsing) into a quart jar. A mason jar is great, but any similarly sized glass jar with a lid will work just as well.

Once everything is in the jar, in a small saucepan, combine all the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, remove it from the stove and pour over the kohlrabi and that is it! Cover and let sit at room temperature until it has cooled to the touch, then refrigerate until ready to enjoy.

Let me know if you try this and how you like it! Do you have any ways you like to eat kohlrabi? I always like it fresh, as it has such a great crunch, but would love to hear about how you like to prepare it.