Moxie Gardener

Radishes mature faster than any garden vegetable.

Radishes are a favorite at my house. We have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner all throughout the year, but especially during gardening season.

Radishes are thought to have originated in China and moved across Asia along the spice routes. Egyptians and Greeks cultivated several varieties. By Roman times, many more varieties were cultivated that were much larger than the radishes we grow and eat today. Small radishes first appeared in written records in the 1500’s.

Known botanically as Raphanus sativus, radishes are a member of the Cruciferae family. The name Raphanus is derived from the old Sanskrit word rudhira, which means blood, obviously referring to their color.

We usually think of eating radishes raw but they are excellent cooked or stir-fried until crisp-tender. They make a good substitute for water chestnuts.

The French eat raw radishes along with olives and a glass of wine at the cocktail hour. Radishes clear your palate and make wine taste better.

Radishes grow best in cool weather during spring and fall. They mature in as little as three weeks. Plant radish seeds 1/2 inch deep and about an inch apart. Thin to about 2 inches apart. Radishes need to be watered every two or three days for best results. If radish seedlings are allowed to dry out, they will not form radish bulbs.

Because they germinate in only a day or two and mature so quickly, radishes have long been used by gardeners to “mark the row” when planting seeds that take several weeks to germinate. Plant radish seeds right along with your carrot, parsnip or parsley seeds. By the time these slow-germinating seeds come up, the radishes will be ready to harvest and have completed their job of marking where the carrots, parsnips, or parsley were planted.

It’s easy to tuck a few radish seeds here and there in your garden as space allows. It’s something I’ve done for years. During the heat of summer I tuck radish seeds in the shade of larger garden plants. I keep them well-watered and harvest promptly when they mature so they don’t get hot, bitter, and pithy.

I slice them thin and put them on buttered bread with salt and pepper for breakfast.

I eat them alongside a sandwich for lunch.

I put them in a salad or stir-fry (or both) for dinner.

I munch on them in the evening for snacks.

I grow radish sprouts in the winter and put them in salads or on sandwiches.

Can’t get enough radishes.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 at 10:36 AM and is filed under Spring, Vegetables. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.