I am not new to kohlrabi. I first found out about it back in 2008 at the annual Agriculture Festival (Agrofest) that year. A former teacher turned farmer brought his harvest of the apple-green and purple bulbs to showcase what’s possible in expanding the country’s offering of vegetables. At the time, though not available in mainstream agriculture in Barbados, he was hoping to make the vegetable available to a niche market. Well, it still has not grown as part of the regular offering of vegetables, and as for the niche market, not much progress there either. I consider it a market find because for the past 2 weeks, I have seen kohlrabi at the market.
There is an old couple, retired, who garden and bring their offerings to the market to sell. You can always find something different at their stall albeit in small quantities. Finger squash, Bajan cucumbers (a particular variety), and frisée lettuce are among the things they bring to the market. Most of the time, they are the only ones with these items. I was delighted to see kohlrabi and bought a couple of pounds (that’s how they were selling them).