Radish

Everything You Need to Know about Radishes:

In this crop guide, you’ll learn what a radish is, why they are so spicy, how to consume them in delicious new ways, and why adding them into your diet is beneficial to your health. 

What is a radish?

A radish is a root vegetable that belongs to the same vegetable family as cabbage, mustard, kale, arugula, turnip and wasabi. Radishes are easy to grow. In fact, they grow so easily and quickly (in just three to five weeks) that NASA continues to study them as a crop to cultivate and harvest during missions to space. 

The radish plant has leafy greens and develops a tuber along with a root system. These roots take in raw growth materials, like water and sugar, and the tuber stores them to ensure survival. 

Radishes come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors, ranging from small and round to long and cylindrical and from red, white, and pink to black. They have a crisp texture and a slightly spicy, peppery flavor. How pungent a radish is will depend on the level of sulfur-containing compounds called isothiocyanates, which are the same compounds that make mustard and horseradish spicy and that work as the plant’s defense against pests and diseases. 

The compounds in radishes are being studied for their healing functions in the body. Studies of radishes and radish extracts continue to show this widely consumed root vegetable to have anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties.

How to prepare radishes?

The entire radish can be consumed. It’s most common to eat the root raw sliced or shredded, but the greens are also delicious. At our Arlington, VA farm we deliver organic radish roots, but also radish shoots, which are the young greens of the plant.

The slightly spicy and crisp flavors pair well with a variety of ingredients like butter, citrus fruits, avocado, and leafy greens, as well as fresh herbs like parsley or dill. You can tone down the pungency of a radish by pickling or pan frying sliced radishes. Here are some more ways to prepare radishes:

Radish greens: Simply chop off the greens from the radish root, and sauté them with some butter, lemon, salt, pepper and any fresh herbs.

Pickled radishes: Make a brine by adding vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a sauce pan and cook until the sugar dissolves. Let it cool, then combine sliced radishes and the brine in a jar and refrigerate.

Grilled pizzette with roasted radishes

What are the health benefits of radishes?

Radishes are low in calories and high in nutrients, making them a great addition to a healthy diet. Here are some of their health benefits:

• Provide a host of nutrients: Radishes are a good source of vitamins C, E, K and folate, and minerals such as potassium, magnesium and calcium.

• Boost immunity: Radishes are rich in vitamin C, which is important for maintaining a healthy immune system. It also has antibacterial and antiviral properties that help fight against infections.

• Promote heart health: Radishes contain potassium, which is important for maintaining a healthy heart. They also contain antioxidants that can help prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, which can lead to heart disease.

• Reduce inflammation: Radishes contain anti-inflammatory compounds such as anthocyanins, which can help reduce inflammation in the body.

Radish Facts: 

• The heaviest radish, weighing over 100 lbs and grown in Japan, set the Guiness World Record on February, 2023. 

• Radishes were the staple of the Fraggle Rock ecosystem - they were used as a food source, as building material and as entertainment. 

• A yearly festival called the Night of the Radishes happens on December 23rd in Oaxaca, Mexico. People carve radishes into a variety of designs and scenes for viewers.

This Week’s Harvest

This Week’s Harvest is a one-time purchase to taste the season's goodness. It includes vibrant greens, fragrant herbs, crisp microgreens, and hearty root vegetables, all freshly harvested and delivered to your front door. 

Taste This Week’s Harvest for yourself, and then let us know your thoughts. Or, come by for a tour. We are always eager to meet the families we feed and to show off exactly where our food came from.

And we can do so all season long. 

Area 2 Farms offers different harvest subscription options to meet your family’s needs. Check out the 4-Week and the 10-Week Farm Subscriptions to choose what works best for you.