Whether you're a CSA devotee, a farmers' market weekender or consider ketchup a veg, we'll bring you fresh inspiration for how to prepare our local produce.
This week's harvest: Radishes
Here's a vegetable appropriate for Valentine's Day. These blushing fireballs are cute and sassy, come in lots of shades of red, and you can carve them into pretty flowers for your sweetheart.
Learn clever ways to eat radishes and a gorgeous chunky salad recipe after the jump.
| Jennifer Woods |
When are radishes in season? November through April
What does it taste like?
Radishes are always crunchy, have a faint whisper of cabbage and range in spiciness from "not even" to "wowee wow." The radish tops are a spunky bunch of greens with a slight bite to them.
How do I eat it?
The root part, as well as the greens, can be eaten both raw and cooked.
Selecting, cleaning and storage tips
While shuffling through your local farmers market, just look for lovely green leaves (remember, holes are ok, it means no chemicals have been sprayed on them) and smooth radish roots that feel heavy for their size.
What to do with it?
I tend to tell people that if you don't know what to do with a vegetable or aren't particularly fond of it, just eat it with butter, cream or bacon - half jokingly. So, I thought we'd play a game and put it to the test. Are you ready? Let's try it.
Butter and Radishes: Of course, this is a classic combo. Try this radishes with butter and salt recipe.
Cream and Radishes: Absolutely. Here' s one for Scalloped Radishes and Root Vegetables.
Bacon and Radishes: Heck ya. Frisee and Radish Salad with Bacon and Hazelnut Vinaigrette. Num.
Want to know what else you can do with them?
Roast them
Pickle them
With the greens, same as other greens recipes (like what you learned with kohlrabi and tatsoi) but here's something different and fun: Radish Greens Pesto
The most mouth watering recipe I've come across lately is this radish salad from the delightful blog Lovely Morning. I love Kristina's simple chunky recipe.
Radish Salad
Kristina Meltzer
reprinted with permission
It's so simple it really doesn't need a recipe. Probably this picture is plenty to make your own, but I'll list the ingredients just in case.
Radishes
Avocado
Cilantro
Olive Oil
Lime
Salt
Pepper
You could probably add something spicy (maybe a jalapeño) to jazz it up. Or some cotija cheese? Or really anything. But it's pretty good just like this. Not my finest concoction, mind you. But pretty good.
Also, I should mention, that in something as simple as this the ingredients make all the difference. A perfect avocado and really fresh radishes with good quality olive oil yield a completely different salad than one made with less ideal substitutions.
Jennifer Woods is a local food advocate with over 10 years working in the AZ food industry, and currently works for Crooked Sky Farms, a CSA produce farm based in South Phoenix.
