Garlicky Kohlrabi Relish

I've had this one bookmarked from Food In Jars since August.  Since I've been trying a new ingredient every few weeks, this seemed like a good time to make the effort.

At Vons, kohlrabi come in a bunch of three, like beets.  They had both green and red varieties.  I went with green because that's what Marissa used.  $3.49 per bunch, and very few of the leaves were usable for other things.  I'm going to assume they get cheaper, larger, and better in quality in late spring and summer.

As I prepared them for the recipe, I easily saw why she suggested broccoli stalks as an alternative.  Kohlrabi have the aroma of broccoli, though they are much more dense.  They would have to be, as part of the root system.  Still, the food processor easily shredded the bulbs with surprisingly little waste.

I should have saved some of the bulb to simmer and taste by itself.  The relish tastes a lot like sauerkraut, but without the effort of fermentation.  I had it on some black bean veggie burgers, and it added a peppery zing.

I'm scaling this down to a bunch-sized batch and reducing the pepper to use regular or freshly ground instead of crushed peppercorns.  To do it by weight, refer to Marissa's original recipe.

1 bunch kohlrabi, slightly over a pound without the leaves
1 C apple cider vinegar
1/2 Tb kosher salt
*2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1.  If canning, prepare jars for a 2 to 3 cup yield.  Trim kohlrabi to remove root, stems, and tough skin.  Run through the shredding attachment on the food processor, or torture yourself by grating it on a box grater.

2.  Put all ingredients in a non-reactive pot and bring to a boil over high heat.  Lower to medium and boil until kohlrabi has wilted, turned white, and become slightly translucent.  It takes about 5 minutes.

3a.  If canning, pack jars using tongs and top with simmering liquid to 1/2" headspace.  Remove air bubbles.  Wipe rims, center lids, and screw rims finger-tight.  Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.  When jars are cool, check seals.

3b.  If not canning, allow pot to cool until it stops steaming before placing relish in a clean container.  Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.

Makes 2 to 3 cups

Difficulty rating  π  ( :) for canning)