Post pictures of your radishes here...

Discussion in 'Edible Gardening' started by misterQ, Jun 19, 2016.

  1. misterQ

    misterQ Super Gardener

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    When reaching for the dizzying heights of the tomato, the cucumber or the runner bean, don't overlook the humble radish under foot.

    Here are my Sparkler radishes - pictures taken on 23rd May 2016.
    [​IMG]

    Half of the total harvest. A pair of Wickes side-cutters are included for scale.
    [​IMG]


    If truth be told, I don't like eating radishes raw - I prefer them boiled in a light broth soup or baked. The leaves, I like boiled or stir-fried.

    I've got a feeling that it will be a good year for radishes so why not try your hand at growing them and immortalise your endeavours here.

    I've showed you mine, now show me yours...
     
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    • misterQ

      misterQ Super Gardener

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      I can see that you're still unconvinced.

      Okay, how about inter-planted radishes:


      Before.
      [​IMG]

      After.
      [​IMG]

      The harvest, 8th July 2016: just 1/5 were bulbous nuggets.
      [​IMG]

      How big were the biggest nuggets?
      [​IMG]
       
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      • misterQ

        misterQ Super Gardener

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        If life gives you mostly green radish tops, and you have a glut, then make pickle:


        Sweet & Sour Pickled Radish Tops, that is.
        [​IMG]


        The container is a 12 Litre food-safe polypropylene storage tub donated to us by a local resident.


        Pickling liquid ingredients:

        1 cup of vinegar (usually white wine vinegar or spirit vinegar but I used malt vinegar instead);
        1 cup of sugar;
        3 cups of boiling hot water;
        4 teaspoons of salt.


        Leave to pickle for atleast a week before eating (raw or cooked).

        It looks an unappetizing dull green colour but will go slightly darker when cooked. Try it stir-fried with shredded chicken breast as an accompaniment to fluffy plain white rice.
         
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        • JWK

          JWK Gardener Staff Member

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          I've never done very well with radish, mine seem to just run straight to seed or taste all woody. Might have to have another go at them seeing yours misterQ.
           
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          • Freddy

            Freddy Miserable git, well known for it

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            Ahh, the humble Radish. To be honest, when I grew them, I thought they were something and nothing, although I did pretty well with them. I do though think they add a nice bit of colour. 'Colours' are apparently, good for us, so worth growing :thumbsup:
             
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            • misterQ

              misterQ Super Gardener

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              They are very useful even when woody, so please do have another go.
               
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              • misterQ

                misterQ Super Gardener

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                A classic case of Aunt Sally Syndrome if ever I saw one. Symptoms include incoherent and irrational trains of thought brought about by the stress from being constantly henpecked.

                I prescribe to you a packet of Raphanus Sativus to be administered to a garden - a few pinches every fourteen days, and tending as necessary. This will cure your ailment very shortly but the treatment must be continued indefinitely.
                 
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                • misterQ

                  misterQ Super Gardener

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                  Purple Plum radishes - 29th July 2016.
                  [​IMG]

                  Packet Noodles, radish tops and optional pickled radishes.
                  [​IMG]

                  Students, eat your greens!
                  [​IMG]
                   
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                  • misterQ

                    misterQ Super Gardener

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                    This is already the third harvest of the year - 20th May 2017.
                    [​IMG]

                    About 70% had reached a decent bulb size.
                    [​IMG]
                     
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                    • misterQ

                      misterQ Super Gardener

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                      Being a thread about radishes, I feel that we ought to include their beautiful, yet often neglected, flowers as well.

                      Everyone knows that, if left for too long (about two years for biennial varieties), radish plants will naturally flower and then set seed.

                      But, did you also know that, according to an old wives' tale, you can induce the flowers as well?


                      For this, you will need:
                      [​IMG]

                      - one radish;
                      - one lemon;
                      - a bowl of cold water;
                      - a knife.

                      I used a utility knife but the process will be faster if you use a sharp, thin bladed, flat edged paring knife.


                      [​IMG]


                      Squeeze the juice from half a lemon into the bowl of water and stir well to make lemon solution.

                      Place the radish into the lemon solution, and place the knife on top of the bowl, pointing to the right. This is very important!

                      Place everything into the fridge.


                      After about 10 minutes:
                      [​IMG]


                      Proof that the old wives' tale is definitely true!

                      I am not sure how this phenomenon works but I believe the orientation of the knife somehow affects the magnetic field of the mineral-rich content of the radish and induces it to take a form that is encoded in its DNA.

                      The lemon solution serves as a preservative, makes the radish float and prevents damage during the transformation stage.


                      I discovered that radishes will not flower if they were below a minimum diameter of 3.2cm.
                      [​IMG]


                      Using a slightly bigger radish:
                      [​IMG]

                      A bigger radish, still:
                      [​IMG]


                      So, the flowers become more intricate as the diameter of the radish increases.

                      [​IMG]

                      [​IMG]



                      Oh, you don't believe me? I can detect your skepticism from all the way over here.

                      Well, you will just have to grow some radishes and find out for yourself, hmph.
                       
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                      • "M"

                        "M" Total Gardener

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                        Are those English "cups" or American "cup" sizes?

                        I'm sowing my radish seeds tomorrow and have high hopes of some kind of harvest! :heehee:
                         
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                        • Steve R

                          Steve R Soil Furtler

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                          My radishes in my tunnel, I started with Sparkler and Scarlet Globe this year, both varieties new to us. After a taste test we decided that Sparkler was a bit wishy washy compared to Scarlet Globe, so I hoiked the sparkler out, bunched them up and placed them on the table we use for bits at the allotment site, raising money for charity.

                          The Scarlet Globe though is now half gone but is a brilliant radish, huge and I know your thinking, probably hard, woody or hollow but it is none of these and eats as well as an apple.

                          [​IMG]

                          [​IMG]

                          [​IMG]

                          [​IMG]

                          Steve...:)
                           
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                          • Scrungee

                            Scrungee Well known for it

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                            Was that from the free seeds from Van Meuwen? I got several packs packs of them.
                             
                          • misterQ

                            misterQ Super Gardener

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                            I detect something intriguing, yet mischievous about your intentions.

                            I use the Great British Cup (GBC) sizes. I believe the current conversion rate is 1 USC = 88 GBC, the value of Sterling Cup having taken a nosedive quite recently.

                            In any case, you can use any type of cup so long as you keep the vinegar, sugar and water ratios about the same.

                            Use less sugar if the vinegar is white wine vinegar as I find that naturally sweeter tasting than malt vinegar.

                            Of course, you are free to add herbs and spices according to your own tastes. This does not change the efficacy of the pickling solution but it may help with exports.
                             
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                            • misterQ

                              misterQ Super Gardener

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                              That is superb, Steve.

                              On second thought, I just noticed the Freudian slip.

                              Please submit the remainder of your "radishes" to the Community Garden for verification testing to prove that they are what you claim they are and not Braeburns masquerading as radishes.

                              Alternatively, you may post pictures of the induced flowers as definite proof.
                               
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