Sunday, October 16, 2005

Watermelon Radish



I confess I bought these mostly for the photo op. I'm not especially fond of the peppery bite of radishes when eaten raw, but I've never tried them cooked, and don't mind them sliced very thinly in a salad. These were so pretty, I couldn't resist.



These radishes are an heirloom variety of the daikon radish. They're also known as Beauty Heart. I ate one of those little wedges you see above and found it reasonably peppery in the middle and downright hot on the outside. I haven't tried the smaller one yet, but supposedly the intensity of this type of radish lessens as it matures, so that little one may be especially fiery.

15 comments:

Nic said...

Speaking as an also-not-a-radish-fan, I would have bought them for the photo op, too. They look beautiful.

The Stitchin' Sheep said...

Never seen those before. Beautiful. I'm a fan of radishes, in general, though. You should cook them up into a creamy soup. They don't taste all that peppery cooked. There are actually several things you can do to cook radishes that always turn out yummy. Do a little google for some recipe ideas. I've come up with some good ones that way. One involved braising them with balsamic vinegar, if I remember correctly.

Joe said...

Wow they are very cool looking! I agree with Nic!

Ana said...

The lengths we go for the blogs wouldn't you say? I'm not fond of pepery radishes either but I understand you! Propably would do the same if I caught those at the market.

Reid said...

Hi Cathy,

I don't like radishes either. Just don't know why, but it may be that peppery kick.

Ana said...

I am not a fan of radishes but yours look so pretty!! Thanks for buying it to show here for us!
Ana

Anonymous said...

Well, gee, I may be the only one...but I really like radishes! Those are especially cool...although I'm pretty sure I couldn't find any like that around here.

Cathy said...

Hi all! I guess there's more to the enjoyment of food than just taste! Thanks for the cooking tips stichin' sheep! I only bought two radishes, but I may try that braising suggestion. Not to worry Ana and Ana, I shelled out all of 47 cents for the two radishes. I think all of you would have done the same!

Joycelyn said...

hi cathy, those look so ravishingly pretty...i wouldn't have been able to resist either had i seen them...

Cerebrum said...

I'd have done the same thing - they are mighty pretty! I actually just bought two new plates for when taking pictures for my blog - I think it was Nupur that inspired me - she got new plates from a friend, just for her blog! Ah, the lenghts we'll go to... But we like it, don't we?:-D

Cathy said...

Hi Jocelyn! Discovering new (and beautiful) produce is definitely one of the draws of the market.

Hi Zarah! Most definitely! The old blog is without a doubt the most convenient excuse for purchases!

Anonymous said...

Try pickling them in wedges and serving them with an herb-infused salt, which you could make yourself in a food processor.

Anonymous said...

I love radishes and have started this year with the watermelon variety. They take 60 days to harvest and if it gets too hot the radish won't develop. I see the garden catalogs are selling the seeds and I found my seeds in a local nursery. Not all radishes are peppery or hot, some are actually sweet. Just have to plant early and pick before the weather gets too hot. What a cool veg.

Anonymous said...

This radish is outstanding in a salad of other crunchy veggies like red pepper, fennel and cukes with some feta cheese and nicoise olives.

Anonymous said...

these are a chinese variety, in beijing we called them 'shin li mei' (vowels sound like: ee ee ay) in the cool climate grow large (as big as a peach) and can be sweet, although I have yet to determine how to distinguish spicy from sweet without cutting and eating...