Monday Special - Radishes

Radishes, radishes. Not sure what to say about these. I'm not a big fan - a bit spicy for my tastes. But, maybe I've just never known how to prepare them. Well, let's investigate...

First off, what are they?? Radishes are cruciferous veggies - like cabbage, kale, broccoli, etc. They are also root vegetables like carrots, which simply means they are the roots of the plant. 

The most common radish is the small, round, red-outside, white-inside radish, however radishes can be long and look like carrots, and can also be white, purple, pink, or black. The greens of the radish can also be eaten - although they are quite tart like mustard greens.

Radishes are easy to grow and have a short harvest cycle. While they are abundant at my farmers market right now, and they are generally available year-round, radishes typically have two seasons - spring and fall. Spring varieties tend to be more mild than winter varieties, and therefore are more often to be eaten raw than the winter types.

Radish-pineapple juice
Vitamin C powerhouse

A 3.5 oz serving (which is a little less than a cup of slices) yields only 16 calories and virtually no fat. They do pack 3.5g carbs, 1.6g fiber and 1.9g sugar. While a serving contains small amounts of many vitamins and minerals, it mostly delivers on Vitamin C, containing 25% of the daily recommended value. Radishes also stimulate bile flow which aids in fat digestion. However, this is most likely achieved by drinking radish juice, so that you get enough radish to benefit from it. Radishes have also been used to break up gallstones and kidney stones.

Pick radishes that are firm with fresh-looking greens. Store your radishes in the refrigerator but REMOVE THE TOPS first or your radishes will dry out. Again, milder-flavored radishes can be eaten raw, adding a peppery bite to a salad or sandwich. If the radish is too pungent, you can always steam, roast, saute or boil them! I find pickled radish quite tasty. Radishes pair well with creamy cheeses, dill, citrus, cucumber, fava beans and smoked or salted fish. As for the greens, you can saute them to keep some flavor or boil them to make them tender and mild. They are sometimes added to potato soups or used in juice recipes.


If you are a radish-lover, plant some! They grow well in containers if you have limited space. They are also great companion plants for beet, bush and pole beans, carrots, cucumber, lettuce, melons, parsnip, peas, spinach and squash. They protect from squash borers, cucumber beetles, and rust flies. Finally, radishes are cool-season vegetables, so avoid summer harvest unless you want a tough, bitter crop. Also, do not plant with cabbage, cauliflower, turnips or Brussels sprouts.

So what do you think? Worth trying again? Or did you already love them??