Radish Ideas

Radishes are one of those fast-growing crops in the garden that can also be sown throughout the year, so with careful planning and succession sowing you can have fresh radishes all the time. They are great to eat due to their peppery but not too spicy taste and their crisp crunch. But apart from putting them in a salad, what can you do with radishes? Here are some radish ideas.

Cooked

Yes, treat them as you would any root vegetable and bake them. Add cloves of garlic, a dash of olive oil, salt and pepper for extra flavour, and finish off with a sprinkle of chopped parsley. You can also add them to soups and stews for an extra boost of peppery flavour.

Pickled

A simple pickle of good vinegar with a little sugar to taste will do well for pickling radishes, or you could try something a bit more robust and add fresh ginger to the mix for a taste explosion! Serve with tacos or burgers, or add to stir-fries and salads.

Fermented

The Koreans know a thing or two about fermenting vegetables, and radishes are often used in kimchi. To ferment radishes, make a brine of 2 cups of filtered water and 1 teaspoon of salt. You can add a small sliced onion, a sliced clove of garlic and some chilli flakes to about 500g cleaned and sliced radishes. Add the vegetables to a sterilised jar and cover with the brine, making sure to get all the air bubbles out. Leave in a cool place until you see the fermenting process starting, then place the bottle in the fridge. Eat after 1 – 2 weeks.

Fresh

From the French comes the easiest, and very tasty, way to eat radishes – thinly sliced on an open sandwich with butter and salt (or add a touch of anchovy to the butter for more spice). Another of our radish ideas is to make a refreshing cold soup of fresh radishes blended together with cucumber and buttermilk, and a dash of vinegar, sugar and salt. Or you can try this tasty salsa for your next barbeque: