What do you like in a radish?

Growing up, we grew radishes regularly, and for large family meals, we'd serve them on the table in a jar of cold water.  We did the same with green onions as well, in a jar of cold water that is.  Most times the radishes would be pretty hot which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but you never knew if you were going to get a mild one or hot one.  They were common red skinned types back then, not like the multi-colored ones available nowadays.  My personal opinion is, I could eat more of the mild ones than the hot ones, so if I got 1 hot for every 3-4 mild ones, that was a good ratio for me.  I've been accumulating as many different colors & varieties of small radish types as I can find (excluding the large Daikon types) to eventually grow/taste test/landrace mix.  I like the short timeline between sowing & harvest, as well as the fact that you can plug them in anywhere you have a little space.

This got me wondering, what does everyone else like about radishes?  

What makes you say "That was a good radish" after eating?

Are certain varieties known for being mild & not quite so hot, or does it come down to inputs like soil, PH, water, etc?

What do you with your radishes aside from eating raw or on salads?

I grow radishes mostly for greens/pods/florets, I don't really like radish roots all that much.  I have been growing generations of radishes from saved seeds trying to select for large, crisp pods.

I've just discovered the pods this year, & have some rat-tailed radish seeds that are grown for the pods.  I haven't tried them yet though, but look forward to it.  

What do you with your radishes aside from eating raw or on salads?

I haven't tried it yet, but a friend of mine roasts them.

Not sure if this recipe is any good, but goes to show he's not the only one:

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/231824/roasted-radishes/

I like the roots of the daikon types raw in salad, cooked up in stir fry, or oven roasted.

What's best though are the rat-tail seed pods - they're great raw, or in a vinegar fridge-pickle. And the pollinators do seem to really enjoy the flowers.

I don't love fresh radish much, though it does occasionally get mixed into my salads or roast veggie mixes. The pod varieties are nice in stir fries too.

What I do love is pickled radish. I make them using a Korean preparation that uses sliced white radish soaked in white vinegar, sugar, and spices and beetroot juice for color. Daikon is traditional but I usually use icicle or watermelon radishes, whatever's growing. My Pennsylvania Dutch-side side family members really like this radish pickle and sometimes I'll make it in sliced or shredded form rather than diced cubes when I'm planning to give away the jars to them.

I have a chinese pickle jar that gets fed regulary with daikon as well as regular radishes and rat tail pods. A daikon radish sandwich is pretty good like a cucumber sandwich.

I have cooked radishes like someone would cook turnips.

Dear hubby likes turnips and could not tell the difference since I cut them small and served them with greens.

I like radishes that are sweet. I grew three varieties last year as a trial for a seed company last year. I found that the amount of regular water affected the sweetness of them, regardless of the variety. Too dry and they were bitter and tough. The spiciness definitely related to the different varieties. The temperature outside didn't seem to affect the taste very much but did affect how quickly they grew.

I won't just eat a whole radish plain but I love them as a garnish, whether diced raw, pickled, or roasted. Yum!

Other years, I've only let my daikon radishes flower and set pods. This year I let my other radishes grow that far so I could try their pods. The easter egg and french breakfast radishes simply tasted like crunchy green things. The daikons always have a bunch of radish zing.  The pods from the "wasabi" radishes had the same wasabi flavor the root does.

like Anne, I cook radishes like turnips (braised, Japanese style is my favorite). Also use them in sichuan pickles.

But I don't think anything beats a sandwich (could be on a cracker, on bread, on whatever) with a generous layer of butter, a slice of a juicy, crunchy radish, and some good salt on top. For that, i like a hotter radish, that the butter balances out. Food of the gods right there!

Also Cy, what a blast from the past! I have memories of long-ago meals at my grandparents' house with radishes and green onions on ice! They were my grandfather's favorite, but as a little kid they were the worst food I could imagine.... haven't thought of that in years.

Great replies everyone!  Just getting caught up on responses.

I have had Japanese pickled radish, but never knew how it was made.  I'm going to have to look up some recipes.

Tereza Okava, I'm glad my story rekindled your memories of your Grandfather.  It seems it was a generational thing of that era.  I will certainly try the salted/buttered cracker/spicy radish combo.  It sounds like a good snack.

K Kaba, thanks for letting us know the seed pod flavor quality.  That's a time saver for sure.

Jenny Wright, I have yet to find a sweet radish, but I have many varieties that I'll be growing next year, so maybe I'll find one.  I appreciate the info on how water/temperature affects the outcome.

Anne Miller, my Dad likes turnips, but I never really liked them.  It has been about 25 years since I last tried one, so maybe I'll snag one from his garden this year to try, lol.

Robert Ray, I'm curious about this Chinese pickle jar you spoke of.  Is it basically a jar with vinegar & spices that you keep in the fridge?  I have been wondering about something like this because I have a friend that gave me a Korean cucumber, & I thought about making pickles with it, but didn't want to do a whole canning session for one jar.  It would be nice to just drop it in an already prepared pickle jar.

Rebecca Rosa, is there a specific recipe or at least a ratio of ingredients you have for your pickled radishes?  Feel free to PM me if you want.

So that this thread doesn't stray too far from the topic of radishes or "What do you like in a radish?" I started a new thread for discussing refrigerator pickles:

https://permies.com/t/221059/Refrigerator-Pickles

A chinese pickle jar sits on the counter and is a constant ferment in progress. I have pickles ready all the time  for a recipe potato salad, chicken salad whatever. Veggies go in during any meal prep excess vegetables get dropped in the jar. I put beets in it the other day for the first time now all the pickles are coming out pink.  I started using my small harsch crock but changed to a clear glass jar. My first brine I made a bit too spicy with pepper corns and chili peppers, and had to tone it down for the masses, I loved it. Sandor Katz has a great You tube series: " The Peoples Republic of Fermentation". Probably should have posted this in Anne's new thread.

I also started a new thread to talk about the Perpetual Pickles Crock.

Let's talk about the Perpetual Pickles Crock.  Do you have one?

https://permies.com/t/221064/Constant-Ferment-progress-aka-Perpetual

Daikon seem to be great at breaking up soil, with how they grow.

Cy Cobb wrote:
Jenny Wright, I have yet to find a sweet radish, but I have many varieties that I'll be growing next year, so maybe I'll find one.  I appreciate the info on how water/temperature affects the outcome.

I think that radishes taste sweet when they don't taste bitter or spicy. But maybe that's just me. 😁

Like some others mentioned I roast mine or cook them like home fries.  They are a good potato substitute when you eat low carb. Cooking gets to rid of most of the heat.. I keep forgetting to try them boiled and then cooled and made into a fake potato salad.  I bet it's yummy I should do that soon.

Cy Cobb wrote:What do you with your radishes aside from eating raw or on salads?

You can kimchi that!

I like to make radish cube kimchi and variations thereof. I use Korean radish (think of a rotund daikon), and in wintertime, there are even seasonal Korean radishes grown on Jeju island in the south of the country. They're especially sweet and make a great kimchi, too. But any old radish variety you have will work to make kimchi!

Three favorites:
Radish Kimchi (kkakdugi)
Beet Radish Kimchi
Ponytail Radish Kimchi (with greens and everything!)

I've been enjoying growing more winter style radishes, however for a classic spring radish, I like a very firm/crisp texture and a slight heat. I eat them the 'French' way with butter and salt.

I grow Daikon radish and use all parts of it: leaves and pods for stir fry, pickles, roots for soup or Hong Kong style radish cake. Leave some in the ground to rot and feed the soil too.