Why Your Radishes Go For Seed
Radish is one of the easiest crops to grow. But if you only eat roots, you lose a trick! Whether you have a large garden or a window sill, growing radishes can actually provide more food than you can imagine. Most people think that every radish seed produces only one plant and that each plant produces only one edible root. But if you consider the alternative edible components of each plant, you can get higher yields. Finding radish pods and how to use them will open up new opportunities and help you expand your home-growing efforts.
About radish
To understand radish pods, it is useful to know a little more about radishes and their life cycle. There are many different types of radishes commonly grown in gardens - from winter taekwondo radishes to round red radishes and French breakfast radishes grown in the spring and summer months. But all genres have the same basic growing habits and life cycles. Most gardeners will wait until the roots reach the required size and then harvest. Since a small number of radishes are sown continuously, radishes can be eaten throughout the year.
But if the radishes are subjected to heat stress, or left in the ground for a long time, as soon as the roots reach the peak, the plants will begin to grow into legs and bushes, producing abundant flowers. After a while, the flowers are pollinated and begin to form pods.
What are radish pods?
When we talk about radish pods, we are talking about the green, thin seed pods that grow on radish plants. Botanically, these elongated seed pods, common to members of the brassica family, are called silix. Silica has two fused carbuncles and usually explodes when ripe.
Botany aside, radish pods are crisp, juicy green pods that form after flowering. When left on the plant, these pods form seeds inside and dry out and turn brown. But when these pods are green and fresh, they are a delicious extra vegetable in your garden.
10 ways to use radish pods
To me, the taste of radish pods is similar to the taste of very familiar radish roots. Some may be more intense and spicy than others, but in general, the young pods have a softer and slightly milder taste than the roots. The texture and general taste are reminiscent of snap peas. So I will describe the radish pods as a cross between a radish and snap peas. Once cooked, even the spicy ones will be much less.
To help you make the most of your radish harvest, here are some ways to use them:
1. Eat them as a snack
The simplest and easiest way to eat radish is to enjoy them as a slightly spicy snack. If you are a beer drinker, I understand that they go very well with this tip. They can be enjoyed on their own or with cream cheese or cashew-based dip.
2. Add them to salads
But you can replace regular radishes with their pods in any radish salad recipe. For example, last night, I added some regular radishes to the salad, along with some mango toast, lettuce, scallions, chard, and baby-leaf kale.
3. Puree them to take a dip or sandwich spread
When I have a lot of radish pods, I like to mix them with other ingredients and make a dip, pesto, or sandwich spread. Juicy and lightly spicy pods provide the perfect mix with fresh and tasty ingredients.
4. Use them in stir-fries
You do not want to be frustrated if you cannot get the right pitch so invest in a good capo. I like to fry them quickly and stir. For example, I fried them with ginger, soy, and Asian greens and spices, as well as cabbage, carrots, and snap peas.
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5. Add them to light, spring pasta dishes
I use radish pods to throw in light, spring-fresh pasta dishes. For example, I like to put radishes, snap peas, small onions, and greens in a creamy pasta.
6. Create a spring risotto
Another ingredient I found to work well was putting the radish in the risotto at the end of cooking. For example, a fresh risotto with fava beans, garlic, shallots, and radishes
7. Add them to omelettes, fritters or quiche
I like to include radish in egg-based dishes like omelets, fritters, or quiches. Radish pods add a bit of spicy freshness to these dishes and work well with peas and thyme or other ingredients such as tomatoes and onions later in the year.
8. Make radish pot pizza
In our house, we like to add seasonal vegetables like radish to the pizzas as well as a handful of fresh ingredients.
9. Add them to the curries
In India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, radish is a traditional ingredient that is often used in curries. Your radishes, no matter what type they come from, can be added to a variety of curries - they work well with strong spicy foods.
10. Pickle Them
If you want to store some of your radishes later or you can not use everything you harvest quickly, pickling them is the best option. There are numerous online recipes for radish lentil pickles, including:
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