We have a chain of stores in the Philadelphia called Produce Junction. Rarely more than a concrete box fitted out with some coolers and a couple of counters, the primary appeal of Produce Junction is that you can get large quantities of produce for very little money.
It’s not a store that’s on my regular shopping route, but I occasionally dash into one when I’m in the right neighborhood. And of course, end up going home with far more food that I actually need (which then sends me off into a fit of food preservation).
This last Monday, I found myself in the vicinity of a Produce Junction. I parked outside and made promises to myself that I wouldn’t overdo it. And while I was relatively restrained, I did bring home beets (both red and golden), snow peas, kale, cucumbers, bananas, oranges, lettuce, and a three pound bag of radishes.
Most of what I bought has been incorporated into our regular meals, but three pounds of radishes is a lot, even for this vegetable-loving household. Steps needed to be taken.
And thus, these quick pickles were born. I used the thin slicer blade on my food processor to break them down (having decided that washing the bowl was better than hand slicing the two pounds I used for this recipe).
Once they were sliced, I made a brine using rice wine vinegar, a little bit of agave, and salt. I tucked some sliced scallions and slivered ginger into the bottom of the jar and then packed the radishes on top.
Now, I made a giant portion of these quick pickles. I filled an entire half gallon jar. You can obviously reduce the recipe if you don’t want to have such a huge portion. However, this is a pickle that I can move through fast, as they go well with salads, grain bowls, tacos, and more.
Quick Pickled Radishes for the Mastery Challenge
Ingredients
- 2 pounds radishes
- 4-5 scallions sliced into 2-3 inch lengths
- 1 ounce ginger cut into matchsticks
- 2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups rice wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons agave nectar
- 1 tablespoon salt
Instructions
- Clean the radishes and slice them thinly.
- Tuck the scallions and ginger into the bottom of a large jar.
- Pack the radish slices in on top.
- Combine the water, vinegar, agave, and salt in a saucepan and simmer until the salt is dissolved.
- Pour the brine over the radishes, using a wooden spoon to help release any trapped air pockets.
- Let the pickles cool to room temperature. Put a lid on the jar and put the jar into the fridge.
- Once the pickles are cool, put a lid on the jar and slide it into the fridge. Let them hang for about 24 hours before digging in.
I’ll have to keep this in mind while I’m overwhelmed by radishes from my garden!
I bet my husband would love these! Do you know of any equivalency charts in terms of the agave nectar? I don’t use it, and hate to purchase just for this recipe. Thanks!
You could use the same amount of honey, or 1/4 cup sugar.
could this recipe be water bath processed in smaller jars? There’s only two of us and a SMALL fridge. They sound delicious.
This recipe doesn’t have enough acid for water bath canning. Plus, you’d lose the crisp texture if you processed this recipe. You could scale it down and simply make less.
how do you know you’re among foodie friends? when someone says “i didn’t overdo it (but i picked up eight different varieties of produce”…) and your reaction is “totally reasonable.”
It certainly seemed reasonable to me at the time! 🙂
Never quite sure what to do w/radishes. This is perfect
Marissa, This is such fun. I love cooking and eating, but trying new food ideas is the greatest. Can’t wait for fresh garden produce in the far north of New York State! Just tried carrot and daikon pickle when out to eat Thursday , now I will try that this month for a quick pickle, it was so good.
What a great way to use radishes and it’s simple, too, we never thought of pickling them.
I have a big black radish that needs using up. Good idea or bad idea? I’m guessing it will turn the water a strange (unappetizing?) color.
How long will these keep?
If you were making these with kids and wanted them to be hands-on is there any reason, you couldn’t let the brine cool before pouring over the veg?
I made a version of these today & they’re so good! I’m not a radish fan but ended up with a bag because my son wanted to try them (he did actually try one!). Added some slices to a salad at lunch – yum! I used sliced garlic & chives from my garden ?
I’ve yet to try this recipe because it calls for agave. Is there a worthy substitute?
You could also use honey or even just plain sugar.
So I love radishes, seriously love them but every pickled recipe I have tried they are too sweet. That just doesn’t seem to sit well with my taste buds. Can I cut back the agave in this or ramp up some vinegar?
Cut the sugar. Pickles don’t need it to be safe!