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Watermelon Radishes
updated: Mar 05, 2013, 4:00 PM

By Edhat Subscriber

For Veggie of the week? Just came across some Watermelon Radishes in Gelsons. They are beautiful! Does anyone know anything about them?

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 381695	2013-03-05 04:08 PM
Yeah, they are yummy. Eat them with some butter and bread for a classic combo.
COMMENT 381696P	2013-03-05 04:10 PM
Check out this link: http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2010/10/meet-watermelon-radish.html The salad sounds great. Think I will look for some at the farmer's market.
COMMENT 381698	2013-03-05 04:16 PM
My wife pickles them.
COMMENT 381700P	2013-03-05 04:19 PM
They are beautiful, and I love radishes. That's all I know without Googling. Did you bring a bunch home? Long ago I tried to eat and/or cook radish leaves. Barely wilted beet greens are one of my favorite foods. Did you taste the leaves? The grocery store radish leaves I tried were rough and tough. I imagine home-grown or any young ones would be edible or good. Google agrees. (Funny, I've been planning on long-cooking greens. I love mustard greens and chard, kale, collard and other too of course; I get bagged mixed greens or several different bunches.)
COMMENT 381702	2013-03-05 04:20 PM
I saw them at Whole Foods yesterday and was tempted but didn't buy. They had one cute open and it was beautiful.
COMMENT 381707P	2013-03-05 04:46 PM
They are beautiful, but my one attempt at making them edible was a dismal failure. They came in our produce box from Plow to Porch, large and a bit woody to eat raw. The recipe they provided sounded good -- a sort of marinated pickled relish -- but it turned out smelling like dog poop. If anyone has had proven success with watermelon radishes, please share the secret.
COMMENT 381717	2013-03-05 05:15 PM
If they were woody, then they were too mature to be eating. At least, that's what I've found.
YIN YANG	2013-03-05 06:14 PM
I still haven't shopped Plow to Porch, but I imagine they would replace/sub something, as would the chain grocery store I shop at. I have no idea how any veg could smell like waste, it must have been the recipe. Try them again raw. I'm sure quick pickling is easy but I don't bother because I'm lazy and all I like is dill pickle juice, which is great with fresh, canned or frozen veg. Do tell them & let them make good on it. Now I want radishes.
COMMENT 381802	2013-03-06 07:24 AM
@YIN YANG, I've never had a "share" from Plow to Porch so I can't vouch for them (they are not a true farm share anyway so they may be more flexible), but every farm I've had a share from substitutions are not allowed.
COMMENT 381804	2013-03-06 07:39 AM
Radishes are in the brassica family, with broccoli, turnips and kale being close cousins. Brassicas are cool season crops and grow in as little as 30 days. "Cool season" I define as the 6 month period between September and March. You can grow radish in most weather but the hottest. Hot weather will make the flavor hot and spicy and somewhat woody. Even in the "cool" season, it can get hot, as you know. When that happens, cover them with mulch to keep them cool in the ground. Radish greens are very nutritious and can be sauteed with other veggies.
COMMENT 381807	2013-03-06 07:44 AM
The leaves from long white asian style radishes cook up wonderfully. lightly steam or stir fry with minimal oil. Add in some chopped raddish root and garlic and a pinch of salt to taste for a real treat (at least if you like cooked greens). Here in the USA you can often get the leaves for free at a farmer's market as most customers only want the roots. Leaves from round red radishes tend to be hard and/or gritty in my experience.
COMMENT 381842	2013-03-06 08:56 AM
Me again. I eat them raw, but for cooking, I've roasted them with other root veggies and they are superb. I just layer the veggies according to size, with smallest on top, lay slices of butter on top, cover with foil and bake/roast until you can smell it, then I uncover the foil and pop them in for another 10 minutes for them to brown.
COMMENT 381897	2013-03-06 10:41 AM
They're awesome, I think. Very mild radish flavor--almost no heat, like a daikon. Their interior coloration varies considerably from root to root, but many are spectacular. I like to grate them into salads. They were briefly a trendy produce item back in the late 90's-ish. Hard to find at farmers' markets for some unknown reason. And there you have it.

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