Up until a couple of years ago, radishes were something I mostly just ignored. As far as I was concerned, they were fairly tasteless orbs (except for the occasional one that was painfully spicy) that were best ignored or crunched over quickly in restaurant salads.
I was of that mind until I had my first brush with regular farmers market shopping three summers ago. It was there that I started seeing fresh radishes, with their greens still attached, in all colors of red, pink and white. At about that same time, I spotted a flurry of blog posts suggesting that radishes were best eaten with salt and butter, either straight or on a slice of chewy bread. Once I tried them that way, I was instantly hooked.
Radishes became a staple on my mental farmers market shopping list and I would grab a bunch with every visit. The one problem I found myself encountering was that occasionally, they’d lose their signature crunch before I had a chance to finish off the bundle. Happily, someone (I think it was a Slashfood reader, but the source escapes me right now) passed along a wonderfully helpful storage tip for radishes that I’ve been employing ever since.
After you do your shopping, if you know you’re not going to be able to get to your radishes right away, trim them of their greens and put them in a jar. Put enough water in the jar to cover the radishes and store it in the fridge. They’ll keep for a good 4-5 days this way without losing any of their crunch or flavor (of course, the most satisfying way to eat a radish is while holding onto the greens, like Bugs Bunny with his carrot. You will miss that particularly tactile pleasure, but it’s a small trade-off).
Or, if you really want to go crazy, you could pickle your radishes so that they’ll last far into the fall or winter… (recipe coming soon).
Thanks for the tip! I can never eat all our CSA radishes (coming soon, I hope) before they get soft. Greg does not help eat radishes.
Fran, happy to help! -Marisa
Speaking of pickled radishes….we pickled up some asparagus last night and threw in radishes, garlic cloves, some fennel and thai peppers. Should be interesting.
Dieselboi, I can’t wait to hear how that turns out! -Marisa
hi marisa,
i love radishes. growing up we always had a tupperware container in the fridge filled with water and radishes. now i put mine in exactly the same weck jar that you show here!
Marisa – that was my tip actually, from slashfood. Thanks for spreading the radish-preserving gospel. 😉 Love the new blog, keep up the awesome work! On another note, any tips on where to do u-pick tomatoes around Philly? I am going to try my hand at putting some up this summer.
i like to eat sliced or chopped fresh radishes on my salads. Does anyone know if this storage method would work with sliced radishes, or do they have to be whole?
Allison, I’m sure it would work. I’m not sure if they would last quite as long as radishes left whole, though.
I am harvesting ton’s of Radishes from our garden this year! So I came across your web site & LOVE IT! I have a question tho, has anyone found a Pickled Radish or Relish Recipe they would be so kind to share? You’ll have a very grateful Texan on your fan-list :o)Thanks so much! Great Job on your site, very helpful & fun to visit, Karen F of Pittsburg Texas
Radish relish?
I sliced them and they seem to last just as long, plus they are easier to toss into my salads and stews, since they are already sliced.
Pickled Red Radishes
3/4 cup hot water (can be from the tap)
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
6 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 bunches red radishes, rinsed and drained
1. Combine water, vinegar, sugar and salt in a large jar, cover with a lid and shake it up until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Alternatively, you can stir them in a non-reactive (glass, ceramic, stainless) bowl. Set aside.
2. Remove the greens from the radishes and reserve for another use. Quarter the radishes. Smaller radishes can be halved and larger ones may need to be cut into sixths. You’ll want them to be roughly the same size.
Pack radishes into your container of choice, cover with the brine and then the lid, and place in the refrigerator. Let sit at least 3 days before enjoying (although they can be eaten sooner.) They should last for a month in the refrigerator. [CAUTION:the smell is terrible when you open the jar, but it goes away quickly & they taste great!]
Cant wait to try my husband loves pickled veggies! thanks hope tpt ypu know how they turn out