Plus Advice for New Vegetable Gardeners and What Else to Do with Radishes
It's so easy to get sucked into the romantic allure of vegetable gardening. You scatter some seeds in the dirt, watch them burst forth and grow, and a few weeks later you gleefully skip outside wearing a straw hat and toting a cute basket to harvest armfuls of picture perfect bounty. So effortless! So rewarding! So not what really happens most of the time—which is why many new gardeners quickly become frustrated, vowing to never again spend $164 and countless hours only to end up with four tomatoes, two small heads of bug-bitten cabbage, one scraggly basil plant, and so many giant zucchini their neighbors have started avoiding them (sort of like what happened to Now you know I'm the last person to dissuade someone from starting an edible garden, and I personally think every unused, chemical-laden front lawn in the country should be torn up and turned into an organic potager. Homegrown anything always tastes better, and even after all these years I find nothing more rewarding than being able to step outside and pick part of my own lunch or dinner from my garden. That said, I do have a few words of advice for budding gardeners. Please don't go crazy and mail order 75 different kinds of seeds during a snowstorm and/or cram your entire car full of seedlings from the nursery on the first day of spring. You're only going to end up totally overwhelmed—and annoyed. Instead, start small. Start with radishes. Radishes? I can hear you saying. Yes, radishes.
French Breakfast Radishes (Love that Name) Harvested in My Kitchen Garden last June
Colorful Easter Egg Radishes (and One French Breakfast) from My Garden
Most people don't know this, but homegrown radishes taste wonderful—crisp and peppery and alive with freshly dug flavor. They have fun names like French Breakfast, Crunchy Royale, and Easter Egg, come in a rainbow of beautiful colors, and are actually two crops in one because you can also
eat the leaves, which are full of Vitamin C and calcium.A member of the cabbage/cruciferous family (you know, the one whose members all have those amazing anti-cancer properties), the low calorie radish has been used over the years to help everything from runny noses and respiratory problems to digestive disorders and liver troubles.
But, most importantly, radishes will almost never let you down in the garden. You really do just scatter some seeds in the dirt (they prefer cool, moist soil), watch them burst forth and grow, and then a few weeks later gleefully skip out and harvest armfuls of picture perfect bounty—straw hat and cute basket optional. You can even grow radishes in pots.
That's all well and good, I can hear you saying, but what am I supposed to do with armfuls of radishes besides toss them in salads and carve them into mice and musicians?
All sorts of things. Chopped radishes add a pleasant zing to tuna salad, chicken salad, egg salad, potato salad, macaroni salad, and even fresh tomato salsa. You can toss them into your favorite coleslaw, and I just realized they'd be a great addition to my
Try layering sliced radishes on a roast beef sandwich, or use paper thin slices to garnish hot soups. Ooh, some finely chopped radishes would probably be perfect atop a chilled bowl of
Quick & Easy Gazpacho (which I've been meaning to make for days). You can even braise radishes in a little butter, with or without some minced shallots, though I have yet to try this.It's still too hot here in southern Missouri to plant more radishes yet, but when my next crop is ready, I'm determined to finally make some pickled radishes. I also don't want to be the only radish lover around who still hasn't enjoyed the classic French sandwich people are always swooning over: spread a halved crusty baguette (I'll use one of the
Four Hour Parisian Baguettes I love so much) with your favorite butter, top with thinly sliced radishes, and sprinkle with some nice salt.But what I really want to do is make a whole lot more of this simple yet scrumptious dip.
So what's your favorite way to eat radishes?
Refreshing Radish Spread/Dip
Makes about 2 cups
Inspired by Helen's recipe at Beyond Salmon via Alanna's version at A Veggie Venture
My Less Fuss, More Flavor way of cooking usually involves simplifying recipes, but this time I applied my More, More, More philosophy to the original three ingredient version of this healthy spread—upping the scallions (
purple spring onions work well, too) and adding in some lemon juice, chopped parsley, and feta.To make a thicker sandwich spread, use a little more cream cheese. I also like this mixed with cottage cheese, either eaten as a dip or in a dish with a spoon. I would have used even more radishes, but the spread started to get a little watery. Alanna makes her version with only 4 ounces of cream cheese, though, so it may depend on the variety of radishes you use.
The flavors improve after mingling for a little while, so make this at least a few hours before serving if you can. As always, I urge you to seek out
local and organic ingredients—they really do make a difference in so many ways.2 cups (8 ounces) halved or quartered radishes
1 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts (
½ cup (or more to taste) packed chopped fresh parsley
8 ounces (or more) cream cheese, softened
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (optional)
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¾ teaspoon salt (start with less if you're including the feta)
Several grinds of fresh pepper
Cottage cheese (optional)
Whiz the radishes, scallions, and parsley in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the cream cheese, feta cheese (if using—or you can always stir it into part or all of the batch later), lemon juice, salt, and pepper and process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor bowl as necessary. Add more cream cheese if you'd like a thicker sandwich spread, or stir in (or process in) some cottage cheese if desired.
Serve with fresh veggies, crackers, pita chips (made from
homemade pita breads perhaps?), pretzels or baguette slices. Helen says her favorite springtime open-faced sandwich is a slice of bread with radish spread and smoked salmon, and Alanna likes stirring her spread into steamed broccoli. It will keep in the fridge for 3 days.Still hungry? Here are a few more Farmgirl Fare dips and spreads you might enjoy:
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—Sour Cream and Onion Dip (and Foodie Travel)
—Ridiculously Easy White Bean Pesto Spread
—Quick Refried Black Bean Dip
—Salsa-Like Green Tomato Relish
—Hot Swiss Chard Artichoke Dip
© Copyright 2009 FarmgirlFare.com, the crisp and crunchy foodie farm blog where homegrown radishes aren't just a way of life—they're an adventure.
