Piggies New Obsession...kohl Rabi

[Eriathwen]

Never tried these before but the other week I bought one for them, ive never seen them so enthusiastic about anything! I figured id better stock up on the weird looking little things, I hope they like the green ones as much as the purple seeing as they sent me an extra one for some reason.

I'm assuming they're a once a week kind of thing? I cant find too much about them other than they can have them.

 

[Tim]

Our lot love them, but I only gave them a bit as I too could only find the same information as yourself. A friend of ours grew them on the allotments, funny veg to eat though. I thInk we tried them in a stir fry

 

[Eriathwen]

I might give them a go next time we do a stir fry, drowned in soy sauce how bad can they be
They smell sort of cabbagey so I figured id treat them as I would cabbage, the pigs certainly seem to prefer them to anything fed alongside it.

 

[flowerfairy]

I think they are in the radish family. Must try them for my lot.

 

[rome_italy]

in english its name is kohlrabi. In italian "cavolo rapa". It has a good amount of vit C (double compared to cilantro), not too much calcium, but as many vegs (also peppers) it has an inverted ratio calcium/phosphorus. It means that the phosphorus is higher than calcium and this is not that good (but we should consider the whole meal during the whole day). An inverted ratio blocks the absorbtion of calcium, takes away calcium from the bones and that calcium pass then filtered through the kidneys (too difficult to explain; anyway this is the reason for the vegs must always be very limited for the piggies' diet).
If you like, there is an easy recipe for eating the whole part of that plant, also the green. You only need to cut them in pieces and cook them into a pan with some oil, just as you do with potatoes (better if you add some thyme)

the only difference with potatoes is that this "rapa" has no taste...
(another thing: they make you run to the toilet with a lot of wee!; this veg has diuretic properties, but of course it depends on how much you eat...)

 

[Flutterby]

Hmm never seen those before, I'll have to have a look!