Radishes: What to Do With Spring's First Reliable Crop - Planters Place

Let’s talk about radishes for a moment. It’s a crop I grow every year but in a casual manner. That is to say, I plant a row and if something edible emerges, I eat them. Most years, if the seedlings are lucky enough to make it past the marauding flea beetles, they are harvested with their leaves looking like they’ve been riddled with miniature buckshot. My main reason for planting them, really, is to see something growing so early in the garden. Do I enjoy them? Eh, they’re okay. How many radishes can you eat, after all?

The Insect Barrier Works!

A few posts ago I talked about the insect barrier I ordered from Gardeningwill via Amazon. I put the insect barrier over several rows of emerging seedlings of spinach, radishes, beets and Swiss chard once I noticed the first tell-tale signs of flea beetle damage. I’m happy to report the barrier works! I have a comparison row of mustards—another crop flea beetles love—without the insect barrier protection and their leaves are more hole than leaf.

What To Do With Radishes?

Having a few spare packets of radish seeds dated for previous years, I planted them all—and gosh, I think every seed germinated. Using the insect barrier when the seedlings started emerging meant pretty much all of them survived—hole free, too. A moist spring has really helped these guys grow quickly.

What has resulted is an abundance of radishes. Sown a little too closely, I have to harvest these guys just as soon as I see their red “shoulders” push up out of the soil. And with such beautiful hole-free leaves, surely there must be something I can do with the leaf and not just the radish root?

So I put it out to my friends on social media: What does one do with radishes? Fresh in salads, for sure. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for about 10-15 minutes (depending on size) at 400F. What emerged from the oven was a nugget of peppery nuttiness. Delicious.

But what about the radish greens? I’ve worked so hard for all that beautiful foliage. Here are some suggestions that came in:

• Braise the greens with garlic (and maybe some ginger), a little veg stock and serve over pasta.
• Roast the radishes and saute the greens in butter! Here’s a Food and Wine recipe.
• In the bottom of a baking dish layer radish greens with pepper slices and a strong cheese such as feta, blue or another cheese, bake until bubbly and cut into squares. Feel free to combine these radish greens with other hearty leafy greens for a flavor punch.
• Pesto! Radish pesto recipes abound online. One friend said she made a pesto exclusively with radish greens but had wished she had added a bit of basil.

I tried the braised radish greens idea and it turned out well. Other than needing a squeeze of fresh lemon, it was a peppery, garlicky delight!

What suggestions do you have?