Kohlrabi Slaw

I spend countless hours each week at farmers markets around Los Angeles. I have come to realize that there is still so much out there to discover. As manager of the Saturday Old Town Newhall Farmers Market, it is my job to know what special items our farmers have and more importantly how they can be used. I am also always on the lookout for high quality farms to bring to Santa Clarita.
We were thrilled to have another new farmer join our market recently, Sunrise Organic Farm. A combined effort of Chuy Salas, his father Jesus, and Andrew Gibson. They run a 100-acre certified organic farm located outside of Buellton in Santa Barbara County. The area is prime for agriculture and is also a famous wine region where some of the top Pinot Noirs in our state come from.
Sunrise Organic Farm has one of the most impressive and diverse offerings of tomatoes and melons I have ever seen. But what sets them apart from others is freshness. They pick on Fridays and their produce is iced down and at our market less than 24 hours later.
Recently one Saturday morning, I was looking over everything being setup for our market. Something caught my eye and I had never seen anything like it before. I was introduced to kohlrabi, which looks like a pineapple crossed with beets. Kohlrabi is actually part of the cabbage and broccoli family. Our farmer grows the purple and green varieties.
Kohlrabi is gaining in popularity because it is so versatile. It is often eaten raw or used in slaw or salads. But it is also wonderful when cooked and makes a great addition to soups and stews. Kohlrabi is similar in taste and texture to broccoli stems, but sweeter and milder.
This recipe is inspired by a classic French celery root remoulade salad. We take our recipe to the next level by adding in some special ingredients we sell at our Saturday Newhall Farmers Market. While you can substitute Dijon mustard, we love the fermented whole grain mustard from Ojai food artisans Wild at Heart. They have a wide array of local high quality fermented products and we are crazy about their mustard.
Plain yogurt can also be used for this recipe, but we always use the plain kefir from the Achadinha Cheese Company. Their yogurt style kefir is a combination of cow and goat milk and is from their pasture raised, grass fed animals.
This salad can be topped with fresh herbs of your choice. Our market always has a good selection of seasonal herbs to choose from. This can be made a couple days in advance. Like many good side dishes, the taste just gets better if it sits for a day or two.

Ingredients:
• 5-6 small to medium Kohlrabi bulbs.
Trimmed of stalks and peeled
• ¼ Cup minced red onion
• 2 T fresh lemon juice
• 1 T Whole grain mustard
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground pepper
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• ½ Cup Plain yogurt style kefir
(can subtitute full fat plain yogurt)
• Fresh herbs of choice

Instructions:
1. Cut off stems of Kohlrabi and peel outer layer
as it is not very palatable.
2. Using a mandoline or knife, slice kohlrabi into
matchstick sized pieces, about 1/16th inch thin.
3. In a medium bowl, combine kefir (yogurt),
onion, lemon juice, mustard, salt, cumin and pepper.
4. Combine well.
5. Add kohlrabi to dressing and mix well.
6. Refrigerate until used, as long as 2-3 days.
7. Top with fresh herbs just prior to serving.

The Old Town Newhall Farmers Market is a certified farmers market bringing Santa Clarita true farm direct produce and the finest food products available in Santa Clarita. It operates year round, every Saturday from 8:30am until 1:00pm rain or shine. It is located in the parking lot of the Old Town Newhall Library at 24500 Main Street in Newhall. For more information, visit www.newhallfarmersmarket.com.

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