Radishes. Always the very first garden snack to come up.
They may seem boring and kind of utilitarian but radishes are always one of my favourite things to pick from the garden. Especially now that I'm growing about 7 different varieties.
It's soon going to be too warm to grow radishes, and I'll have to remember to put another batch in closer to the end of summer. Radishes are like the elderly. They don't like the heat.
Betty was over the other day and noticed that my radishes were about to go to seed. She did not notice this because she has a keen sense and love of gardening. She noticed it because she has a keen love of radishes.
This year the first radishes to ripen were the Icicle Radishes (long and white), the Cherry Belle radishes and the Purple radish from William Dam's Easter Egg hybrid radishes.
I've found that anything purple from the garden (like Cubit's Cosmic Purple carrots) absolutely GLOWS. The purples are always my favourites.
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The best way to store radishes (whether from the grocery store or your garden) is to cut the tops off and put them in a bowl of water in the refrigerator.
They'll stay crisp and crunchy and good for ages. Or you can do like most gardeners do and just eat them right out of the dirt.
Of course if you do that you have to walk around with a packet of salt in your pocket because there's nothing better than a radish dipped in salt. NOT sprinkled. DIPPED. I learned that little trick from my mother, who also dips her chicken, potatoes and toothpaste in salt. She does that after drinking the olive juice from the jar.
If you ever want to buy my mother a present a salt lick would be a good way to go.
It's not too late to have radishes like these. You can give them a shot now, and if they don't do well (as I said before radishes don't like heat), you can plant them when the weather starts to get a tiny bit cooler, say around the beginning of August here in Southern Ontario. By the time they germinate and pop up, the nights will be cooler but there will still be plenty of sun for them to grow.
Ditto for purple carrots by the way.
If you're interested in growing your own salt lick I'm afraid you're on your own.
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Michelle
I've never been a fan of radishes (although I suspect that I would enjoy them more now than when I was little), even straight from the garden. My dad planted them every year. He tried getting me to eat radishes fresh from the garden dipped in salt. He also ate green onions straight from the garden (you peel the outermost leaf off and all the dirt comes with it...no need to wash) dipped in salt. I did learn to enjoy those and still like to eat them dipped in salt sometimes.
Perhaps I should try radishes next year...or this fall.
I'm totally curious about the steamed radishes mentioned above.
Karen
I'm curious about the steamed or roasted radishes too! ~ karen
Olga
Nature is an amazing thing. Seems like just yesterday you had a winter outside of your window, and today you already have thing to pick in your garden. I must try growing some radishes in the fall, with some purple carrots.
kelliblue
Wow your radishes are so pretty! I can practically taste them ... Grampa grew radishes that were some of the hottest I've ever had, but I don't know what type they were (round, and reddish-pink with white tips and insides). And kohlrabi - hey, ya got any of that? We were always very liberal with the salt, too...we even put salt on melon of all types (try it), apples, peaches, tomatoes, etc. Mmmm! I'm with Betty on the salt thing - my fave martini is extra dirty, extra dry, with all that yummy extra olive juice and a 3-olive garnish I can get it.
However, my ankles have since rebelled and tend to swell up like melons themselves if I even *look* at a salt shaker. The salt-free life is a B O R I N G one indeed. :( But I will definitely have to track down some radishes again. Hope Whole Foods has some nice organic ones.