Radishes!!

Did you know how healthy radishes are for you?  Sure, you probably munch a few now and again when they are offered on a veggie tray at some party but, in reality, we all should eat a lot more of them!  Radishes have a lot of tasty goodness in them!  Not only are they high in vitamin C but they are a good source of potassium.  This makes them valuable as a regulator of blood pressure!  The spicy veggie can also help to lower that bad cholesterol and is believed to have anti-cancer properties.    The greens also have a lot of vitamin C and calcium making them a very healthy food choice, as well!  So eat those radishes!  And..yes..eat those radish greens!

All of this interest in radishes has come about merely because that is what is ready to harvest in our garden.  The inclement weather has put an extreme damper on the growth of most of the other plants.  The tomatoes are at a standstill and the squash, though blooming and setting squash, are prone to blossom rot.  So we eat radishes!  Michael pulled a nice mess of them today.  He washed and stemmed them to go with our lunch of chicken casserole.  The greens were nearly tossed in the compost until I informed him that they, indeed, are edible.  Immediately, the leaves were returned to the kitchen and washed free of any sand.  He chopped them for me while I heated a bit of olive oil in a skillet.  The greens were added and sauteed for just a few minutes.  Then a bit of fresh garlic was stirred in for added flavor.  All that was needed was a sprinkling of salt and a lovely side dish sat ready to eat!  How simple was that??

The bunch of radishes that Michael pulled today came from the three short rows in the garden. The plan is to plant more tomorrow so that we have a non-ending supply for a while.  Radishes grow really quickly but need to be used just as quickly since they have a tendency to get a bit tough if left in the garden too long.  Since radishes are easy to grow and quick to mature, why not plant a few?