radishes.

A vegetable I’ve always overlooked.

I’ve bought radishes twice in my life.  Today being the 2nd time.  What piqued my interest?  My brother!  While I was home, he told me a funny story about buying radishes.  While I won’t get into the story, what really made me do a double take was the fact that my brother bought radishes!

Whaaaaat?

EYE don’t even buy radishes!! [“I” spelled “eye” for emphasis!]

My brother went vegetarian this past fall, which I mentioned awhile back.  He said he eats a majority of raw food because it’s quick + easy.  Again!  Say what??  He doesn’t prepare raw meals, per se, but just eats raw veggies, fruits, nuts, etc. to save time throughout the day.  He does still eat cooked foods on a daily basis but mostly for lunch.

So I asked him how he eats radishes…

Raw with a little salt.

I guess that makes sense, as they’re most commonly seen raw on salads.

Yes, my salad is in a casserole dish + piled high. 

If you’re not big on raw radishes, you can always steam them.

Topped with butter, salt, + pepper, they are quite delicious. 

Steam until just tender.  The cook time will vary depending on if you steam them whole or sliced.

Either way, delicious. 

In other vegetable news…

I finally bought seeds!!  They’re from Botanical Interests and are all non-GMO.  They sell them locally at many different places, but you can also find them online.  I was completely overwhelmed selecting my vegetables.  If 1 thing grows I will be happy! 

Our garden bed as well as our yard are covered in weeds.  Very nasty weeds, with monster roots.

After quite a bit of time, I got them up as best I could.  We weren't planning on putting weed barrier down, but I think we’re going to have to now.  These aren’t the weeds you can just easily pluck from the soil.  Their roots are 5-8” deep and on a mission to take over!

Literally, all over our backyard.  So today I sprayed them for a good 20 minutes with a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water.  We’ll see what happens in 24-48hrs.  I’ve seen different methods for using vinegar to kill weeds, but I’m not too hopeful these are going to budge.  All I know, is that we don’t want to use any crazy chemicals to kill them.  Luckily, we have a great garden store in town with tons of eco-friendly options and a super knowledgeable staff.  Bath Garden Center  Details on what we’re filling up our veggie box with soon!

DIE weeds diiiie!

Please!?

Now go get some radishes!

Ashley

Comments

[Rachel @ The Parkers Blog]

All I think about when I see radishes is this time I accidentally bought them from the grocery store, and my husband cooked them by baking them in the oven. Ugh. I don't think I can even pick up a radish ever again in my life, haha. The beginnings of your garden look great! Excited to see what pops up over Spring & Summer.

Ashley--> Hahaha, I have the same disdain for beets!

[Gabby @ Gabby's Gluten-Free]

I love radishes but never buy them, either! Once our CSA starts I will probably get them regulary. My favorite way to eat them is either raw or steamed with butter and cinnamon + pinch of stevia - it's sooo good.

Ashley--> Cinnamon! I will have to try that!

[Katie @KatieDid]

I'm starting my first garden this summer with my mom in a raised bed as well, I'm looking forward to it and like you said- if ONE thing grows I'll be pleased! I've only had raw radishes once and they burned my throat.... they have quite a bite to them if I remember correctly.

Ashley--> I think some varieties are spicy and I know that depending on when you plant them, it can really change the spiciness as well. These were super mild.

[Andrea]

I love radishes and eat them raw with my lunches frequently.. I've never even thought to steam them before. Just love them raw so much! And isn't getting your garden ready so exciting?! Even though all the weeding may not necessarily be FUN, it's still exciting knowing why you're doing it :) Why is your yard so rocky?

Ashley--> It is fun to get it started but I think we're a little late for planting some things, and all the research stressed me out, haha.

[Robyn]

I love radish(never cooked--tho). when I was still vegetarian I use to make a Famers Salad that was basically tons of cottage cheese and radishes. I think the recipe came from Homemakers?? it was very light and very yummy. And I see dandelion tea in your weeds<3 Happy planeting

Ashley--> I love veggies + cottage cheese!

[Cait's Plate]

My sister and I do the same thing with "I" ("EYE" for emphasis)!! Haha. That's so funny!

I too overlook radishes and in fact don't think I've EVER bought them in life, but I always enjoy them immensely when I've gotten them out.

And yay for the seeds in the vegetable garden!!! I'm dying to have one of my own someday!

Ashley--> Too funny. I've done the "eye" thing for a few years now. :)

[Catalina @ Cake with Love]

Radishes are really good, we always make this salad: radishes, red shredded cabbage, boiled potatoes, oli and salt it is very good!

Ashley--> Sounds delicious!

[Lauren @ Oatmeal after Spinning]

I'm not a radish fan, but my husband loves them. I won't pick them out of a salad or anything, but also won't seek one out. I'll have to try them with a little salt though. Back when we used to get them in our CSA, I would steam the radish greens, which were pretty good.
Your garden looks like it has awesome potential! I really need to kick my butt into gear and get to work on mine. We have insane amounts of weeds in our garden too. They never go away!

Ashley--> I'm glad it looks like it has potential!

[Brooke]

Oh, don't kill the dandelion! You need to harvest it and use your ingenious talent of recipe creation to make something that will look soo yummy people will be asking their neighbors for dandelion greens! Believe it or not, I have dandelion seeds that I want to plant just so I can harvest their leaves and flowers. You can soak the flowers in honey to make a dandelion jam :-)

Ashley--> I'm scared. :) Come over and show me what to do!!

[Heather]

i've never tried radishes but my parents SWEAR the butter/salt/pepper method is delicious!

[catherine]

i agree - save the dandelion! they are DELICIOUS! the greens are my old favorite (the previous poster mentions growing them for the leaves, i'm determined to that this year too!) you can even eat the tender yellow flower heads, harvest under the sun when they are fully open and use them right away.

Ashley--> I have to admit that I'm scared to save the dandelion greens. :)

[Becky]

Good luck with the garden! If you want to try growing something really quick and easy, try radishes! I think they are the easiest and fastest veggie to grow. Also, I'm glad to see someone else use vinegar on weeds! However, just know that it doesn't kill the roots, so you will have to reapply as the tops grow back. But if you persist and keep the tops dead, the roots will eventually lose strength and die.

Ashley--> Good to know that radishes grow quickly! I figured I would need to pull the roots up but thought maybe the vinegar/water would help ease them out. We shall see!

[Michelle]

I've been known to buy bunches of radishes at the store and eat them all while I'm cooking dinner (this totally happened last night!). I used to avoid them, but in the last six months I've been all about them! So good!

Ashley--> I ate the whole bunch yesterday. :)

[Mark]

Hi Ashley,
My wife and I have had good luck killing weeds in our backyard simply by blocking all light to them. Last spring/summer I bought a big piece of black plastic (thicker is better) from the painting section of Home Depot, and a bunch of small bricks to hold it in place. With that on top of the weeds, they were deprived of all water and light and died. It takes a couple weeks of having the plastic in one spot to do the job, then you can move it to the next weeded area. The black plastic will absorb heat and the sun will "cook" the weeds on a sunny day, speeding up the process. Completely organic, and safe for the humans and doggies. We are dog people too. ;-) Good luck with your garden. We are doing something similar in our backyard, and it is a very addicting hobby.

Ashley--> Thanks Mark!! I have heard of this process, but just didn't think about buying a large tarp. We'll need a few! Maybe I'll spray them down with the vinegar and then put the tarp on top. Thanks so much for the great idea. Much appreciated!

[Jennifer]

die weeds, die! too funny. I'm so excited you're growing a garden. Please post frequent pics so I can live vicariously. Fresh kale? I can only imagine! And steamed dandelion greens are good - you should try. Ironically, I like to top them with a little vinegar!

[megan]

You know you could eat the dandelion leaves? If you're gonna get rid of them anyway, might as well put them to good use. Smaller leaves are better, but all parts are edible and have medicinal properties. Just sayin.... :)

[Eileen]

Yay, radishes! They're definitely great raw with butter and salt, but I also like them sliced thinly and layered on egg salad sandwiches (or just mixed with the egg salad itself) or halved, tossed with garlicky olive oil, and roasted. Not that any of us really want to turn the oven on the first spring vegetables...

Ashley--> Layered on egg salad is a fantastic idea!

[Alison]

I really love roasting radishes. Just thinly slice them, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 425F for 25 minutes and you're done!

[Barefootcookingirl]

Radishes roasted with coconut oil, salt and pepper. That's the ticket! :)

Ashley--> mmm, coconut oil

[Zoe]

I have never thought of roasting radishes so will try that. I grow my own and I grow some that are all different colours which looks great in a salad. I love your photos of the radishes - the red against the black is very striking.

[Averie @ Averie Cooks]

so random but I haven't been getting your RSS feed for like...a month! And just thought about you and wondering what was going on and looks like your site has had little makeover and is new and gorgeous!

Ashley--> I'm glad you found me! I tried to notify everyone through facebook + twitter, but I know not everyone sees those updates. I had to change the feed when I switched hosts. Very annoying!

[Colleen]

Dandelions are not weeds! Don't kill them!!! Not only are they completely edible, delicious and super healthy, but their super long taproots bring up the nutrients for your other garden plants to enjoy. Honestly, most weeds are actually good for your garden for that very reason, just as long as they aren't completely taking over what you have planted. Don't fear weeds!!!

Ashley--> They've taken over our entire backyard, along with this other nasty weed that's actually on this list of "noxious" weeds that you have to take care of or the city tickets you! I'm a little scared to eat the dandelions, because I have no clue what type of soil conditions are in our backyard. It's more of a car parking area than an actual yard [you pull in through a back alley...no garages in front]. So I'm worried about what's in the soil with cars being parked there over the years. I'll let everyone know if I try eating one though. :)

[Michelle]

I use boiling water on weeds. Works really well!

Ashley--> Great idea. Thanks for sharing!