Dr. David Nagel, Extension vegetable specialist, suggested I do something fun at last year’s Fall Flower and Garden Fest in Crystal Springs. He encouraged me to pick out one of the most uncommon vegetables in the demonstration garden and introduce that particular item to the folks visiting the farm. 

John C. Coccaro is county Extension director. Write to him at 1100-C Grove St., Vicksburg, MS 39180 or call 601-636-5442 or e-mail.

I had a blast doing it. I selected kohlrabi, which most visitors had either never heard of or never tasted. Standing there beside the rows of kohlrabi varieties with my Case pocketknife, I was not only able to tell about the plant — a low, stout cultivar of cabbage — but I was also able to entice numerous guests to taste a slice of the raw vegetable.

Kohlrabi is also known as German turnip. It will grow almost anywhere and can be eaten raw as well as cooked. While most people in the South are probably not familiar with it, kohlrabi is one of the most commonly eaten vegetables in Kashmir. Locally called monj, the vegetable and its leaves are eaten. Every Kashmiri household will have this at dinner three to four times a week. The taste and texture of kohlrabi are similar to those of a broccoli stem or cabbage heart, but milder and sweeter. The young stem, in particular, can be as crisp and juicy as an apple, though much less sweet.

If you go

The Fall Flower and Garden Fest will be Friday and Saturday from 9 to 2 p.m. in Crystal Springs.

Nagel claims kohlrabi is becoming popular as an alternative to chips for snack food — slicing them thinly and serving with dips. They are also delicious when cooked, and are often used in Indian cuisine. 

I’m trying to decide which vegetable to teach visitors about at this year’s garden fest Friday and Saturday. It is probably going to be either the shungiku, edible chrysanthemums, or the salsify. 

Shungiku makes a zesty, edible green when it is 4 to 6 inches tall. It can be used as an unusual addition to salads or prepared vegetable dishes. It will produce yellow flowers that look like daisies, which are also edible. 

Salsify is commonly called oyster plant since its root tastes something like oysters after it is cooked. Salsify was more commonly grown in the 1800s than it is now since we can get oysters in a jar when we want them. Salsify is an intriguing plant that produces edible, strap-like leaves and a white root that resembles parsnip. It takes four to five months from seed to harvest, but the plant is cold-hardy and can be left in the garden all winter. Salsify is biennial and will produce blue to purple flowers in spring.

All parts of the salsify — also known as goat’s beard — are edible. The greens are sweet, the root is tasty and easy to cook and, as if that weren’t enough, salsify’s purple flowers are nice to look at.

Come see these and hundreds more varieties of garden vegetables and plants Friday and Saturday at the Fall Flower and Garden Fest in Crystal springs. Hours are 9 to 2 p.m. each day.