Radishes + Radish Greens
About Me: A radish is an edible root from the brassica family. Radishes come in all kinds of sizes and colours: red, white, black, purple, and pink. Radishes have many health benefits and were used in Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine to treat many conditions such as fever, sore throat, and inflammation. Both the roots and green tops can be eaten. Radishes are great either raw, steamed, braised, poached, grilled, or roasted. Most have a bit of spice to them but that does vary depending on the variety.
We grow both 'summer' and 'winter' radishes at our farm. The main difference between these two types is the storage length. Winter radishes tend to store longer because of the thicker skin.
Summer radishes are the standard smaller radishes you generally see. The types of winter radishes we grow are 'watermelon', known for it's green/cream outer skin and vibrant pink inner flesh, 'daikon', usually a crisp white and elongated radish, and 'black' radishes, which have a beautiful black peel and bright white inner flesh. The skins on these radishes have a lot of texture and the larger sizes might need to be peeled. The thicker skin ensures these radishes will keep in your cold storage for months.
Radish tops/greens are always thrown away but STOP! They are completely edible. Because of their coarse texture, they don't work well in salads unless they're young and very small. They have a slight thicker texture and usually a bit of spice which makes them perfect in stir fry, soups, and made into a few choice condiments. Radish greens are rich in vitamin C, vitamin B6, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, calcium, vitamin A, potassium, and folic acid, and have long been used in traditional Ayurvedic cooking from India.
To store: (Roots) Store radish roots separate from the leaves. Place dry, unwashed roots and greens each in their own mesh bag, or paper towel, and then place inside a bag, or container inside your fridge crisper. The summer radish roots will keep for about 3 weeks and the winter radish roots 4-6 weeks or longer.
(Greens): Cut greens from their roots; store roots separately. Keep dry, unwashed greens in a mesh bag, then covered with a reused plastic bag or container in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
To freeze: (Greens) Blanch washed greens for 2-3 minutes. Rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process, drain, and pack into airtight containers, and freeze.
Recipes:
Miso Poached Radishes and Turnips
Radish and Turnip Salad + Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing
Grilled Bok Choy + Ginger Cilantro Dressing
Daikon Steaks + Twice Cooked Carrot Noodles