Kohlrabi Salad with Lemon
A crisp kohlrabi salad for day-hikes and car camps. Pre-slice at home so you don't need a mandoline at lunch.
- calories
- 180
- weight
- 4.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 40
- protein
- 2 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 3 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 3 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Lunch
- Snack
- No cook
- Car camping
- Day hike
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Grab and go
- Day one only
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Kohlrabi bulb | 1 small (about 4 oz) | trim, peel, and slice paper-thin with a mandoline before you leave; pack in a sealed container |
|---|---|---|
| Kosher salt | 1/4 tsp | |
| Lemon juice | 1 tbsp | fresh or bottled |
| Maple syrup | 1/2 tsp | |
| Fresh herbs | 1 tbsp, finely chopped | tarragon, chives, parsley, or dill |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | in a small dropper bottle |
Method
- Dump the kohlrabi slices into a bowl or onto a plate.
- Sprinkle salt over them and let them sit for a minute to soften.
- Add the lemon juice, a drop of maple syrup, and the herbs.
- Drizzle with oil and toss gently until everything is coated.
- Taste and adjust the salt or lemon.
Kohlrabi is one of the few raw vegetables that packs well. It stays firmer and crisper than lettuce, and thin slices won’t bruise the way fragile greens do. The work happens at home—mandoline the bulb paper-thin and pack it carefully in a rigid container. Once at lunch, salt and lemon juice soften the slices over a few minutes and draw out their subtle sweetness. Oil and maple syrup provide the calories.
This only works when you’re eating it the same day, so it’s limited to day-hikes and car-camping. If you’re planning a backpacking trip, dehydrate kohlrabi at home and cold-soak it at camp—you lose some of the crispness but gain shelf-stable weight savings. Either way, the point is a fresh vegetable salad without carrying a mandoline or doing prep work in the field.
Packing
Slice the kohlrabi at home with a mandoline and pack it in a sealed plastic container so the slices don't get crushed. Bundle the salt and herbs together in a small bag. Carry lemon juice and oil in separate dropper bottles.
Variations
- Dehydrate thin-sliced kohlrabi at home for 8 hours and cold-soak it at lunch for a backpacking-friendly version.
- Use walnut oil for a richer flavor.
https://foragerchef.com/kohlrabi-recipe