Veggie IDs: Radish & Salad Turnip

Both Radish (red and purple) and salad turnips (white) are an anchor of our spring and fall seasons. They flourish in the relative cooler temps. As the temps rise, the bugs begin to pay way too much attention to these zesty bulbs so we stop growing them for a little while. You can expect to see them for the next few weeks until the temps really turn up.

Sometimes they come in bunches and other times they come bulk. That decision is usually determined by how the greens look when we harvest them. Too many flea beetle bites and sun or frost burn, no greens. Don’t worry, having the greens removed for you doesn’t change the crunch of the flavor at all!

At their best, radish are a wonderful flavor blend of sweet and peppery. They are most commonly used as part of a salad, but can be roasted or sautéed too! Salad Turnips are crispy, sweet, and have a bit of peppery kick to them. They too are delicious in salads, but sweeten up considerably when they are roasted. Keep in mind that you can pretty much substitute one of these for the other in any given recipe! Beware with both of these when you cook them! Overcooking is a terrible idea and they will just turn to mush.

When you get a bunch of radish or turnips with greens, remove the greens when you get home, give them a rinse, and place them in their own plastic storage container or bag. This will keep them crispy so you can cook with them. Substitute cooked radish greens anywhere you would find spinach, beet greens, chard, or kale!