Radishes - A Heavenly Bunch

Radishes by ©EnzieShahmiri

As a child, I loved the look of radishes, but when it came to eating them I always thought that radishes were bitter and pretty spicy and would end up pushing them to the side of my plate. welcome the added crunch, color and health benefits this easy to grow a bunch of goodness has to offer and plant it in my garden for use in salads. Have you ever tried radishes dipped into melted butter with just a touch of sea salt added? YUM!  It's fireworks right there in your mouth - somehow the combination does wonder and leads to an explosion of flavors.

If you don't care for the slightly bitter taste, look for a radish variety called "Watermelon". They taste a bit sweeter and look super pretty!

 

Radishes are cool weather crops easily grown from seeds. To avoid a bitter crop sow the seeds early so that the plants can mature before the weather gets too hot (80F). Radishes are considered root crops and therefore like to stretch their roots in loose, well-drained soil in full to partial sun.  Since radish seeds are very small, sow them and slight sprinkle additional soil over them, just so they are covered by a light soil blanket. Keep them watered until the seeds start to germinate, after that they need little care. 

Radishes grow fast and you should see some action in about 25 days depending on the variety planted. I learned a cool trick - radishes will peak out of the ground once they are ready for harvesting, so you don't need to guess when they are ready for picking. 

French Radish 

Radishes can be refrigerated for up to a week, but I prefer to pick and serve.  Radishes are great in salads. To bring out the natural sugars, half them, spritz some olive oil on them, sprinkle with sea salt and place in the oven for 15 min at about 375 F. The tops can be eaten as well. Just clean the leaves, sprinkle with oil and sautee with a bit of garlic and sea salt.