Yeah, you know, our carrots just didn't do very well. I lot of them split or came out woody. And even the ones that came out well didn't taste any better than the bagged baby carrots. But, I'm not really much of a carrot eater, so maybe that's part of the problem. But good luck with your carrots!
Arugula is like a spicy lettuce. I think it smells like peanuts, but it tastes peppery. It might taste bitter to some people. It can be an acquired taste. You might be able to buy some at your local grocery store to try it. Some stores sell it in the fresh herb section. Trader Joe's sells it pre-washed and bagged with the other bagged lettuces. I usually just eat it raw like you would lettuce--on sandwiches and in salads. But you can wilt it with a little bit of hot water or saute it and that will make it milder. Sometimes I toss it in with pasta and then I'll just put it in the collandar and drain the pasta over it to wilt it. It's also good chopped up in quiches or you can butterfly a chicken breast or pork tenderloin, spread some soft cheese (e.g., laughing cow wedges) in it, toss in some arugula and some bottled roasted red pepper, then roll it all up and roast it for an easy meal that looks impressive. You can probably use arugula as a substitute for spinach in just about any recipe. I think you can even make pesto with it. If you want to grow arugula, I really like these
seed disks. They are much easier to plant than loose seeds.
Kohlrabi is similar to a turnip. I'm lazy, so I usually just peel it and eat it raw, in salads or just by itself. It can get a little woody, so you want to pick it early, while it's still small, if you're going to eat it raw. When it's eaten raw, I think it tastes very similar to jicama. Most people eat it cooked. Although it actually grows above the ground, it's similar to a root vegetable and you can use it any recipe that calls for other types of root vegetables. Things like soups, stews, gratins. You can also roast it or boil and and then toss it with a little cream or fat free half and half. It's only 8 calories per ounce, the same as turnips (compared to 25 calories per ounce for potatoes, 21 calories per ounce for parsnips, 12 calories per ounce for carrots and celery root, and 10 calories per ounce for rutabaga). So it's great to throw with other root vegetables to lighten up a dish. For example, you couple replace half the potatoes in a stew with kohlrabi or roast a mixture of kohlrabi and potatoes.
Yes, I've very curious to see what these marigolds will do. I think all marigolds are edible, but not very many get this tall.