Unless you prepare a lot of fish tacos (or old-school relish trays like the one served at Durant's), it's a good bet the humble, easy-to-grow radish doesn't regularly make it onto your shopping list. This is a crying shame, especially in our neck of the woods, where spicy is a way of life. The subtle bite and mellifluous crunch of a fresh radish is a real treat. For breakfast or a light supper, radishes with bread and butter (and a little salt, if that's your thing) can't be beat.
It's not too late to get your fix, Maya Dailey of Maya's Farm tells us: "From me, you'll see radishes for quite a while -- through the end of [March] and probably into April." (Maya's produce appears at Downtown Phoenix Public Market and Scottsdale's Old Town Farmers' Market -- and while she can't speak for other growers, of course, they were all radished up, too, last time we checked.)
And because they are such a hardy, reliable crop, just about any produce stand at any market has lovely radishes among their wares.
The Valley may never again be as saturated with farmers' markets as it is right now. (Or, on the other hand, it may be a relatively benevolent harbinger of a coming social apocalypse.) From a shopper's point of view, at least, the plethora is never too much of a good thing: Just about anywhere you go over the weekend, as well as several Wednesday locales, you're near a spot where you can check out fresh local produce, tempting prepared foods, funky crafts, and interesting people and dogs to flirt with.
Some markets, especially those farther from central Phoenix, only take place once a month, so with a new month beckoning, it's time to jot down a few of those rare birds:
The San Tan Village shopping center in Gilbert hosts a farmers' market on the first and third Wednesday of each month, through May 20. That means there's a market this coming Wednesday, March 4.
Anthem's market and the Sun City Festival Farmers' and Artisan Market in Buckeye are on the first Saturday, which is a week from tomorrow.
