How to cook Radishes

Radishes are best raw, sliced into salads and sandwiches or even left whole and dipped into houmous for a healthy snack. The young leaves are delicious in salads or cooked in the same way as spinach. Radishes are also well suited to stir-fries or quick, Asian-style pickles because they hold their crunch and don’t go soggy.

WHAT ARE RADISHES?

Radishes are little peppery flavour bombs! They are part of the brassica plant family, which includes broccoli, cabbage, kale and Brussels sprouts. We usually eat the root of the plant, although the leaves, flowers and seed pods are also edible. Radishes come in a wide variety of shapes and colours. You can grow purple, red, pink, yellow, white or black radishes. Mooli radishes are long, and white radishes can weigh up to 20 kilos! The name radish comes from the Latin word radix, which means root. But, some radishes aren’t grown for their roots at all – varieties like ‘Munchen Bier’ or ‘Rat’s Tail’ are grown for their crunchy and peppery seed pods.

WHEN ARE RADISHES IN SEASON?

Radishes are available almost all year round, but they are at their best from April to September.

HOW TO STORE RADISHES

Removing the leafy tops preserves radishes for longer, so trim them off if you’re not planning on eating the radishes straight away. Don’t waste them though, as radish leaves are delicious in salads. Store radishes in the fridge and use soon after you buy them to stop them going soft and watery.

What are the health benefits?

Radishes are a good source of folic acid and a source of vitamin C. Vitamin C helps to keep our immune system working properly so we can fight illness and flu. Around 10 radishes count as one of your 5-a-day (one portion of veg or fruit is 80g raw weight).