Spring is here and our farm is bursting with all kinds of goodies you’ll start to see on our table this season – spinach, bok choy, broccoli rabe, YUM! And we want to share the wealth with you, so each week, we’re featuring a different item you’ll see in our garden and on our plates, plus tips from Farmer Ric and Chef Kai on how to grow and cook these delicious veggies for yourself!
We’re kicking off this week with RADISHES – what else? Bright pink, red and white Easter-egg radishes – so called because of their vibrant pastel hues – adorn every plate of bread and many of the salads at Farm and Table. Fresh, crisp, and sweet with a little bite at the end, radishes are a great way to liven up a salad and add a striking straight-from-the-garden flourish to any dish.
Right now while the weather is still cool is the ideal time to plant radishes, although if you’ve got a nice patch of shade or if you grow them in the shadow of some taller plants, you can plant them all the way into early summer. The slightly spicy veggies are quick and easy to grow, which makes them perfect for home gardening – even for beginners. Just make sure to plant them in rich, loose soil, says Farmer Ric, our resident farmer, and – voila! – 30 days later you’ve got radishes. Farmer Ric’s special tip? Plant them next to heads of lettuce – the lettuce will make your radishes extra sweet!
Our Chef Kai says if you want a fresh, sweet taste, pick your radishes early – keep them under the soil a little longer for a spicier, stronger bite. The younger the radish, he says, the milder the taste will be. He recommends using radishes in salads or as a bold garnish. But if you really want to impress your friends and preserve some of that garden fresh flavor, Chef says you can’t go wrong pickling your radishes using his recipe below. Pop a few pickled radishes on a burger or top a summer fish from the grill with pickled radish salad… and enjoy!
PICKLED RADISHES
Ingredients:
- 10 radishes, sliced thinly
- 1 cup champagne vinegar
- ½ cup sugar (or honey)
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 peppercorns
- 2 cloves
- ½ cinnamon stick
Instructions:
Heat the vinegar, sugar and spices together in a saucepan. When the mixture comes to a boil, take it off the stovetop and pour over the radishes. Cover and store in the refrigerator. The radishes will be pickled and ready to eat in about 24 hours.