Who knew radishes could pose the same problems as zucchini?
In May, I sprinkled those tiny seeds in a 1 foot x 6 foot area, nestled between the runner beans and the sugar snap peas. They sprouted quickly and prolifically.
Last time I planted radishes, I neglected to thin the seedlings until it was just too late. This year, I paid close attention, waiting until conditions were just perfect, the root just long enough, the leaves just sturdy enough, the ground just damp enough to make thinning easy and safe.
I left hardy growth every inch or so, not in a row but more in a checkerboard pattern. I’m following the square foot gardening theory this year and so far, it’s working a treat.
These lucky ones grew and grew and in many cases are still growing. Some are big as golfballs, some are even larger. There are a few that are still rather small and tender.
But there are so many. Many more than I thought I left. And gracious, how many radishes can you eat? We are putting them on our salad at every possibility, but that takes care of just one or two every day.
So I googled radish recipes and googled again and again. What I found were recipes that used one or two radishes, just as an accent or garnish. I searched and searched. Then bingo – I found a recipe that used a bunch of radishes, that featured them as the main ingredient. It was perfect, as I could use up a good portion of this harvest in one fell swoop. It was also super simple and made sense theoretically, as radishes have a bite like an onion.
So I picked about 8, cleaned them up, trimmed them and quartered them. I placed them in a small casserole dish, dotted them with butter and sprinkled salt and pepper, covered them with foil and stuck them in the oven on 350.
About 45 minutes later, they were tender and soft. I served them with pork chops, elotes and green salad from the garden. Tony took a forkful and so did I. My hopes were high, thinking about getting through this crop quickly and deliciously.
We tasted.
Eh. Just – eh.
I should’ve planted zucchini.
The Radish Casserole
The Soul Of A Gardener 