Superschmelz Gigante Lagerkohlrabi Seeds

Probably hailing from Saarland Germany, this 1800s variety was bred for great winter storage – known as a lagerkohlrabi – or storage-type kohlrabi developed to feed people over many cold dark months. 

Slow growing, and very slow to lignify (meaning it says tender and non-fibrous), it is also the largest kohlrabi variety, achieving 12-inches in diameter, and a weight of more than 12 pounds -- while still holding moisture fairly well under traditional root cellar storage conditions, maintaining its excellent quality.

The massive size of this vegetable makes it wonderfully versatile. Some people cut it into strips, and add it to salads. It can also be chopped, boiled, and mashed (with or without rutabagas and/or potatoes) finished with salt, pepper, and butter which is simple, delicious and filling in the best winter night kind of way. Shredded, it can be used for sauerkraut. Relatives of ours in North Dakota add it to knephla soup along with the standard boiled potatoes. 

Because it’s a late season crop, this variety is best planted in mid to late summer, for autumn or winter harvest. Where winters are somewhat mild, it can be left in the garden for an extended timeframe for continual harvest on an as-needed basis. For cool storage (in an unheated building without prolonged deep freezing), it can be stored for several months in damp sand, or sawdust, with just the leaves trimmed off. This is a quintessential independent homestead storage vegetable – an earlier generation’s intelligent answer to the question of food security.

50+ Seeds (0.25 grams)