The Speedy Little Crop: Radishes

One of the things I love the most about radish farming is the speed the crop grows. In the height of summer, radishes can grow from seed to harvestable plants in just 25 days. Interestingly it’s the speed at which they grow that determines how hot a radish is too: in warm weather, radishes grow fast and so are less hot in flavour, but when it’s milder, they grow more slowly, which gives them time to develop more of a kick.

And not only are radishes one of the fastest growing salad vegetables around, they’re also the first British salad vegetables to be harvested each year in the UK, when the season starts in late April.

I’m lucky enough to manage one of the biggest areas dedicated to growing radishes in the UK at Feltwell in West Norfolk.  Radish growing started at Feltwell in the 1980’s when growers in the region were looking for crops which suited the rich black fen soil which is naturally very fertile.  Radishes are an ideal crop for this location as the fenland peat retains its moisture, which reduces the need for irrigation and helps preserve the local area’s water supply.

I’ve been growing radishes at Feltwell for over five years now – a far cry from my origins as a sheep farmer in Scotland. Since leaving Scotland 14 years ago, I’ve grown radishes in Kent too, but can safely say Feltwell is the best place in the UK to grow radishes thanks to the unique soil here. It’s pitch black and looks as good as bags of compost from your finest garden centre, but the truth is, it’s even better than that. The only real challenge it presents is keeping the weeds down! But again, thanks to the speed radishes grow, it’s not really much of a problem, as the radishes shoot up quick enough to outgrow even the speediest weeds, which means we hardly ever need to use pesticides either.

As radishes are an early salad vegetable, we get to see the results of our hard labour throughout the winter much earlier than other growers, with the radishes green leaves starting to appear as early as March.

Most people just think of the traditional small, cherry sized red variety when they think radishes, but we grow a number of different varieties of radish here at Feltwell:

  • French Breakfast: a variation of the traditional red radish, featuring an elongated shape with a deep pink skin that fades to white at the root
  • Purple: round, purple and with a slightly milder flavour, these make a great snack
  • Easter Egg: a mix of pink, purple and white varieties, usually quite mild and crisp.
  • White: long, white and with a medium heat

When it comes to buying radishes, you should look for plump, firm bulbs to guarantee the best flavour. To prepare them, simply wipe clean and trim off the stem end and tip; for added crispness soak in iced water for about an hour before use.

In terms of storage, the best place to keep your radishes is in the salad drawer of the fridge where they will keep for around a week. Alternatively you can freeze radishes for later consumption. And although the leaves can be eaten, as they don’t keep for more than a couple of days at most, it’s best to either eat them when they’re fresh, or chop them off if you plan to store your radishes for longer than a few days.

When it comes to eating them, in my humble opinion, they taste best as they are, fresh from the field, but that doesn’t mean to say you can’t do much more with the humble radish. It’s often thought of as just ‘a bite on the side’ or used as a garnish, but with its crisp, crunchy texture and distinctive peppery bite, the radish makes a deliciously versatile snack or ingredient, perfect for adding a subtle kick to salads, sandwiches, stir fries and more.

For a sweeter flavour, try steaming them and as autumn approaches, try lightly roasting them. But don’t just take my word for it, buy a bunch of radishes and give some of our recipes below a go.

Radishes with Butter, Salt & Crusty Bread

Serves: As many as you want

Preparation Time: 2 mins

Cooking Time: None

What you’ll need:

  • Sea Salt
  • A loaf of crusty brown bread
  • Unsalted butter
  • As many radishes as you want

What to do:

  • Lay out the ingredients on a plate or bread board and then eat in whatever order you fancy.
  • You can either:
  • Dip the radishes in butter, then salt and follow with a hunk of bread
  • Crunch on a radish followed by a hunk of bread spread with butter and topped with a sprinkle of salt

Radish Butter on Rye Toast with Soft-boiled Eggs

Makes a delicious lunch, supper or breakfast.

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: None

What you’ll need:

  • 50g butter, softened
  • 6 French breakfast radishes
  • 4 slices rye bread
  • 4 medium eggs (at room temperature)

What to do:

  • Grate the radishes on a fine grater and place in a bowl lined with kitchen roll (this will absorb any liquid that comes out of the radishes). Beat the butter with a fork until its very soft then add the radishes and combine well with a good twist of black pepper and a generous pinch of sea salt.
  • Bring a pan of water to a simmer, add the eggs and simmer for 3 mins then put the lid on and turn off the heat, leave to stand for 2 mins.
  • In the meantime toast the bread and whilst still warm spread generously with the radish butter. Cut the slices into soldiers and serve with the soft-boiled egg.

Notes:

If you make the butter in advance keep it in the fridge then bring back to room temperature and beat again before spreading.

Radish, Feta and Baby Leaves Salad

Great on its own as a salad or stuffed into a pitta.

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: None

What you’ll need:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 shallot, finely sliced
  • 20 French breakfast radishes
  • ½ bag lambs lettuce
  • ½ bag Chard & Spinach salad or ½ bag of Red Leaf salad
  • 150g feta cheese, crumbled into chunks

What to do:

  • Combine the oil, vinegar and shallot and season with salt and pepper. Quarter the radishes and toss with the leaves.
  • In a large salad bowl toss the vegetables with the dressing then scatter over the feta.

Summer Salad of Radish, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Asparagus and Peas

This is a wonderful, healthy salad to try when the season for fresh, British greens begins. The radish gives it a wonderful colour, flavour and crunch. If you cannot get purple sprouting broccoli, then just buy any colour broccoli, with tender stems.

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 20 mins

Cooking Time: 10 mins

What you’ll need:

  • 400g fresh purple sprouting broccoli
  • 300g fresh British asparagus
  • 200g fresh radish
  • 200g fresh podded peas
  • 100g sesame seeds
  • 50ml rapeseed, grapeseed or other vegetable oil
  • Zest and juice of 1 lime
  • 2 tbsp soya sauce
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • Sea salt and pepper

What to do:

  • Firstly prepare the vegetables. Wash and trim the purple sprouting broccoli, the asparagus and the radish. Slice the broccoli and asparagus into 3 cm pieces, and slice the radish thinly. Place the radish in a bowl of cold water.
  • Using a double layered steamer, boil some water and steam the purple sprouting broccoli, the asparagus pieces and the peas for approximately 5-7 minutes. The vegetables should be quite tender, but still green and slightly crisp.
  • Remove the vegetables from the steamer and set aside to cool on a clean preparation tray.
  • In a little jug mix together the sesame seeds, rapeseed oil, zest and juice of the lime, the soya sauce, sugar, a pinch of sea salt and a generous grating of black pepper.
  • In a roomy salad bowl, mix together the steamed purple sprouting broccoli, asparagus and peas. Add the drained radish slices.
  • Add the soya and lime dressing. Toss the salad well. Serve.

Indian Spiced Radishes & Pumpkin

Great served with dahl.

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 5 mins

Cooking Time: 20 mins

What you’ll need:

  • 800g pumpkin or squash, cut into small chunks
  • 3 tbsp nut oil
  • ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp mustard seeds
  • 2 curry leaves
  • 1 garlic clove, minced or finely grated
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 20 radishes, sliced into thick rounds
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped

What to do:

  • Boil the pumpkin in water for 8-10 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.
  • In a large frying pan heat the oil and add the chilli, turmeric, cumin, mustard seeds and curry leaves and cook for a minute or two until they are fragrant but not burnt. Add the garlic and cook for a further 30 seconds.
  • Add the onions and sauté for a minute then add the radishes and finally the pumpkin.
  • Season with a good pinch of salt and cook until the vegetables are tender but start to crisp on the outside.
  • Stir through the chopped tomatoes and serve with chapattis.

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