Radishes are an underrated vegetable. Some people love them, and most people think of them as a crunch in salad and that’s about it.
It’s too bad because radishes have a lot of health benefits. They are high in Vitamin C and fiber, in antioxidants, calcium and potassium. They have a low glycemic index, which means they don’t raise your blood sugar quickly, something that more and more people are needing to pay attention to. And it’s a cruciferous vegetable, a close sibling to broccoli, and sharing some of the cancer fighting abilities of the family.
It’s also too bad because radishes love to grow! They are the garden super stars in spring and fall, along with turnips (to which basically everything in this email applies to!)
But seriously, folks, even if you want to, how do you eat a lot of radishes?
Here are a few ways.
1. With dip in a veggie tray (this is especially fun when you have a variety of colors, like our Christmas radishes have!)
2. Roasted with other winter vegetables. Roasting really tames the burn and makes them easy to eat!
3. With salt, out of hand
4. Sliced and salted with bread and butter
5. In salads
6. As a salad https://thehickoryrunhomestead.com/2024/04/16/what-do-you-do-with-8-bunches-of-radishes/
7. Pickled
https://simply-delicious-food.com/easy-pickled-radishes/
All these are great ways to use radishes. But the most common way we eat radishes is homemade kimchi-like ferments. I won’t lie, it’s a process. But it’s also, “deelishus” as my two year old likes to pronounce as he eats it. And it’s a great way to enjoy radishes and a lot of other super foods at the same time.
As always I adjust to my family’s tastes; we don’t love super hot foods so I back off on the chilies. And I don’t use fish paste because… I have never used fish paste. Haha, someday I will try it. (I’m so sorry to anyone who is used to authentic kimchi!)! Here’s how I make kimchi (ish).
I chop up a boatload of daikon radishes and turnips into matchsticks. You can also grate them, or slice them finely or use the food processor. We like the texture of matchsticks and my veggies chopper did a good job of making matchsticks. I coarsely grate a bunch of carrots as well for added color and diversity.
Place it all in a large bowl and cover with a brine of 3 tablespoons of salt to 1 quart of water and let it soak for 2-4 hours. You can do a less salty brine if you are going to let it soak longer.
Then I chop up onions, garlic, chilies, and ginger and blend them into a smooth paste in the blender. Adjust the amount based on your tolerance for heat and spice. This is similar to the the ingredients of fire cider.
After 2-4 hours drain the brine and reserve it. Then slowly mix the paste with the chopped veggies, tasting regularly till it’s the right spiciness. You don’t need to use all the paste. . .you can make more kimchi to use it up. (You know how that goes!)!
Pack the kimchi into jars and cover with some of the reserved brine and cover with sterilized lids.
Set the jars in a tray to catch any bubbling and set them in a warm corner of the kitchen. After several days, it’s time to taste and see if it’s the right sourness. It’s usually done in about a week.
When it’s right, put it in the fridge where it will keep for months. If it lasts that long.
Happy radishing!
-Julie
