Dutch kohlrabi season nearly over

Is kohlrabi becoming forgotten? Not if agent Jan Leegwater has anything to say about it. He has a weekly turnover of 10 to 20 tonnes. “Kohlrabi is mostly sent to cutting plants, and is then placed on the ready-to-cook shelves in supermarkets, or it ends up in bags of stir-fry vegetables. Besides, a loose turnip might be found here or there, but that’s not really worth the trouble anymore,” Jan says.

“It’s become a small product. I expect the season to last for two more weeks, and then we’ll continue in September again,” says Jan, who has been retired for some time now. The only product he hasn’t said goodbye to yet is kohlrabi. “Kohlrabi is a specialist product that I’ve traded in for 30 years. As long as it’s allowed and as long as a profit can be made, I’ll continue doing it. However, turnover is declining every year.”

Jan: “It is being promoted as a forgotten vegetable, but they should make more of an effort.” Quality isn’t the problem. There are absolutely no problems. The hybrid seeds used nowadays result in good products. Kohlrabi is also easy to store. “It can stay in the ground until mid-December, and then it’s placed in storage until late March.”