Radishes Deserve Respect
A lot of people don’t like radishes, which is so sad. They are really one of the great under appreciated vegetables. I think they get a bad rap because the ones at the store are so often old, pithy, and spicy. Sometimes they even have a rubbery texture.
Homegrown radishes are an entirely different story. They are delightfully crunchy and have a mild flavor as long as you keep them consistently moist and pull them young—just after their shoulders pop up out of the soil. I love to harvest the roots, rinse them off, dip their tips in salt and pop them in my mouth. The French often serve thinly sliced radishes on a piece of buttered, crusty baguette. If you don’t like radishes, try them that way. You just might change your mind! Trust me on this.
I always sow radish seed thickly because I love to thin out the spicy sprouts and add them to a cheese sandwich or salad. The seeds germinate in just a couple of days and the roots are ready in just over a month (or less when the soil is warm). The greens have a velcro-like texture when raw, but they are chock full of vitamins and delicious cooked. I twist off the tops and cook them just as I would arugula or spinach (they are especially good in eggs). Chickens also don’t mind a snack of radish tops.
I sow radishes every two or three weeks in bare spots around the garden. Radishes come in a huge range of colors including black, watermelon (white on the outside, red on the inside), pink, purple, white, and of course, red. I have some ‘French Breakfast’ radishes in the garden right now. Unlike most garden radishes, they have cylindrical red roots with white tips. Such a fun alternative to regular red! Radishes send up a seed stalk in warm weather. The short seed pods have a spicy flavor and taste wonderful stir-fried with chervil. In fall, if you allow a few radishes to go to seed, they will often self-sow and grow in spring!
I love radishes! Ones from the garden are the best. I’m planting them in little pockets around other plants this year too. Trying to get a few in every couple of weeks and that way I can leave a chunk of space for something that will be in the garden longer. I didn’t know they might self seed. Hmmmm. Go radishes!
May 12th, 2010 at 5:51 amI have some Crimson Giant ones planted right now and they’re up.
May 12th, 2010 at 7:29 amBut I like the idea of planting them in my bare spots…I’ll give it a try!! Love your site!! Gardeners Rock!!!
.-= Denise´s last blog ..Simplicity Photo Challenge: What Makes Me Happy =-.
When left to go to seed, the unripe pods are delicious! Great in salads.
May 12th, 2010 at 8:35 amYesterday I read an article in the New York Times about roasting radishes: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/12/dining/12appe.html . It sounded like a great idea! Between that and your glowing recommendation, I think I just might have to throw a few in the garden this year. How can you go wrong with a quick and easy crop with edible roots, greens, and seed pods? Thanks!
May 12th, 2010 at 9:15 amI adore radishes. Last year ours were as sweet and juicy as a cucumber. This year, well, we’ve had a radish maggot infestation. Ironically, I just did a write up on that issue on my blog with video of the problem as well at gardenhelp.org. Enjoy yours — way better to grow your own than pay $3.50 for about 6 of them, with greens, at the farmer’s market!
May 12th, 2010 at 9:37 am.-= gardenmentor´s last blog ..Radish Maggots – Getting to the Root of the Problem =-.
I am late to the radish party but catching up. Somewhere I read how quickly they grow so I did a test row in preparation for giving a budding gardener (4 year old girl) some seeds. Wow! Even if I did not like the root I would grow them for the tops. I love all greens so this is a quick, compact and really flavorful find. And I did not know about the seed pods. Can’t wait.
May 12th, 2010 at 12:00 pmOh Willi – you make me smile! I love this blog about radishes and the one about violas and about 142 others! Thanks for enjoying life and not stressing too much.
May 12th, 2010 at 9:29 pmThe name says it all. Thanks for the radish love.
May 13th, 2010 at 4:58 amI love them too. Yours are beautiful. Mine are not so. Slugs. Tiny tiny slugs have eaten them away.
So I have decided to keep a few in the garden as slug bait to lure them away from the lettuce. poor radish.
http://blakeislandblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/radishes-in-garden.html
May 13th, 2010 at 1:32 pm.-= sarah´s last blog ..keeping busy =-.
Gardener on Sherlock Street–Radishes are definitely my go-to filler, but I also like to sow dill, basil, lettuces, and arugula in little patches around the garden. It makes things look full and gives me a more consistent harvest!
Denise–Crimson Giant! Love the sound of that variety, I’ll have to give it a try. I’m going to plant ‘Easter Egg II’ tomorrow. It has lovely red, pink, white, and purple roots.
Amanda–Thanks so much for that link. I never would have thought of roasting radishes! Definitely adding that to my must try recipe list.
GardenMentor–Eww! I will have to give you some radishes!
Heidi H–The pods are awesome. PIck them just after they form, they get kind of tough the longer they are on the plant.
Shannon–You are too nice! I’m so glad you enjoy DigginFood. I really love putting together every post.
Sara–The name does say it all. Love your blog btw!
Sarah–Sorry about the slugs. In my garden they are really attracted to the tops of radishes when they push out of the ground. I’ve found hilling soil back around the tops really helps slugs from munching on them.
May 13th, 2010 at 6:13 pmLove the French baguette and radish combo – yum! I always seem to crowd the radishes too much and don’t thin them enough…so they end up tiny and stunted. I’ll try to do better this year.
May 14th, 2010 at 9:55 pm@Sarah – I have issues with slugs too – little nibbles out of all the leaves.
Our 1st graders tried them for the first time from their school garden. I have yet to sow mine, maybe this week!
May 16th, 2010 at 7:39 pmThanks for the recommendation! I’ve posted a link to my blog article regarding recommendations from other gardeners.
http://amysoddities.blogspot.com/2010/09/seed-varieties-recommended-by-other.html
October 4th, 2010 at 8:42 am