Black radish seeds seemed like an interesting option from the seed merchant, so in my spirit of adventure and finding what grows best for us here, I bought a packet. They were something different from the usual, and worth a try. When I started pulling them, I was wondering if they would be consigned to the experience bin, but with a few tasty crops and recipes tried, I’m a convert.
Growing black radish
I’m not a fan of radishes, but nevertheless keep growing them. In the back of my mind I keep thinking I’m going to have some sort of Damascus moment and come to like them. Plus, they look great in the shop and on a plate.
There are some ways black radish are similar to the red types; they germinate quickly and well, and get established in short time. But while red radishes seem to have roots ready to pick in a few weeks, and are certainly a quick crop, black radishes grow more like turnips, gradually storing a turnip-sized root.
In our warm climate, sowings through Autumn and Winter produce reliable crops. Sow thinly in rows in good soil, thin to about 20 cm between plants, and pick anytime when the roots are a good size.
The warm Spring weather here sends them to flower, so I doubt they’d be a Spring or Summer crop, but to my mind the flavour profile suits cold weather anyway. If you leave a few to flower they produce plenty of seed for next year’s crop. The flowers are a pretty pink and attract beneficial insects.
Black radish for eating
With their rough black skin and slower growth, black radish are not at all like the usual radish types, more like a turnip. But their remarkable feature is their intense flavour when raw; it’s to my taste unpleasantly hot and strong in the radish way, almost like horseradish.
The black skin peels away easily to a uniform white flesh, which stays firm when cooked.
Reading internet reports, they are very mixed. Some people are enthusiastic, and post salad recipes, while others say that they couldn’t eat them. From my first early picking of a standard radish-sized root I thought that grated in a salad they would be overpowering. Maybe there was something with the way they are grown, or the cultivar?
Later I had friends visiting who were interested in the vegetable garden, so I pulled one to show and was surprised at the size, like a turnip. I gave it away with a warning and wished my friend luck. She’s a dietician so I figured she’d cope.
I had sown my black radishes in a row next to my much more prized swedes, so I pulled a few more the next day (photo) although they were not as big as the original.
This time, though, I cooked them. First as a trial just peeled, cut up and simmered in a little olive oil, then next with some pork and onions. What a change! They are like a nicely strong flavoured turnip and a fine ingredient in a simmered dish.
When the Winter crop started coming through they featured as a vegetable or in stews for quite a few meals, and now I’ll be growing them as a cold season staple, rather than the tricky swedes, which don’t get enough cold days to develop good flavour.
Oh, and the chickens still get the tops.