Radishes Everywhere!
The radish is an easily recognizable and common garden crop. It is a member of the brassica family, which includes other veggies like turnips, cauliflower, mustard and kale. I like to think of radishes as cabbage’s crunchier cousin or broccoli’s baby brother. They are, for the most part, a cold weather crop which means they are best grown late March-June and then also in October-January here in Kentucky. They aren’t too fond of the hot summer sun, so much like myself they are most productive in the spring and then the fall. Some varieties of radishes can grow from seed to small plant in just a few days.
From the health and nutrition perspective, radishes are known to be low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. They are a good source of Vitamin B6, Riboflavin, Calcium, Magnesium, Copper and Manganese, and an even better source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Folate and Potassium.
Although I have never found an individual who loves radishes like I do, I’ve never known someone to turn one down after pulling it straight from the ground. They are crisp, spicy, juicy and most important edible from the greens to the root. And they are undoubtedly one of my favorite veggies to eat and share.
As I was tending my garden the other evening, it became abundantly clear that my favorite time of year was at hand. As I carefully pulled the shoots of grass which had begun crowding around some of my sprouting veggies, I saw that my first round of radishes were ready for harvest. I pulled them out of the ground in utter ecstasy and hurried (with a radish in my mouth) home to prepare my bounty. Here’s what I whipped up:
Radish mashed potatoes
2-3 large red potatoes
3-4 garden fresh radishes
Greens from radishes
3 cloves minced garlic
½ c. soymilk
1 tbsp. butter
Salt to taste
Trim the radishes (save the greens for garnish), chop potatoes and place in boiling water, uncovered for about 10-15 minutes. Drain the water from the pan, add soymilk and butter and mash to your heart’s delight. Add salt and additional season depending on your preference. Then chop the greens from the radish and fold into the potatoes.
It’s a spicy, mushy feast.
If you have a gardening or cooking story you’d like to see on the Food & Faith blog or questions about what’s growing in your garden, please email me at: arianna.king@pcusa.org or call (502) 569-5818. Happy harvesting to all!