Friday, May 22, 2009

Radishes

Growing up I was never a fan of radishes. To me they were these weird pink and white things that Mum would cut fancily into rosettes whenever she had a dinner party. Even worse was that the leftovers would be in our dinner salads for days on end. They were bitey and the texture altogether not to my liking. Now I am older and possibly a bit wiser my view of radishes has altered slightly. I could never, ever eat the little pink versions, nor would I be inclined to grow them given the limited space on the balcony. However a fondness for Japanese food, founded in my late teens, meant that Daikon radish was a staple in my diet. Usually used as an accompinament in julienned form for Sashimi I love its delicate flavour. Said flavour is enhanced, rather than consumed by, the lieral addition of soy sauce. With carrots, greens and some raw fish of the day it is an absolute treat.


I live near the Vic Markets which are readily supplied with Daikon, but these are large and often pricey. So I thought why not grow some myself?!? I need to thin them out as all four seeds took in a rather spacially restricted pot, but hopefully, in some time, I will have two daikon radishes to enjoy in the balcony garden kitchen!

5 comments:

Dan said...

It will be fun to watch your radishes grow. I wasn't to fond of radishes as a child either. I like them now so at least one thing has changed about me, ha. I have never tried the Japanese type, I will have to give them a try.

Chandramouli S said...

My radishes look like huge pipes at the bottom and am not sure when to harvest them. I assume that I ought to wait for flowers? Any ideas? Your radishes look a lot healthier.

Anonymous said...

Interesting. I've never heard of this type of radish. Good luck with your crop.

Fern @ Life on the Balcony said...

I'm not a huge fan of normal radishes either. I'll be interested to hear about your daikons. If you have good results I might have to look for some seeds...

Fern @ Life on the Balcony said...

Chandramouli--How do you know what the radishes look like on the bottom if you haven't harvested them? I always harvest mine when the tops start peeking out of the soil and I can see that they are nice and pink/red. You should not wait for the plants to flower, by then the radishes will taste like wood.