I like radishes a lot, but I always forget to thin them and they don't grow big. Which is irritating. Because then all you have is a long row of leafy tops that aren't good for much. Plus, they don't like the heat. So mostly I grow radishes in the cold frame over the winter.
This year I decided to try the rat tail radishes that I found at Baker Creek.
They're supposed to not mind the heat and you eat the seed pod instead of the root.I figured they wouldn't be bothered by a little crowding.
And it turns out they have really cute pink flowers.
And after a while those little pink flowers turned into these long green seed pods that look like rat tails.
Hence, the name. Take a look at the first pic up there. See the long pods? That's what I'm talking about.
They have that classic radish taste and stayed nice and crispy even in the heat. The heat only encouraged them.
And then all the sudden the plants were loaded with pods.
As in - the pods are taking over the world.
So we clipped a big bucket full and brought them in to see what we could do with them.
They're good sauteed with butter and garlic. And curry - I like them with red curry.
They're great raw on sandwiches.
They're great stir fried.
We found that the toughest part of the pod is the pointed tip, so we snapped the ends off like beans, and we dried a bunch.
Dry them until they are crispy and brittle. They should break apart easily.
Then we broke them up and put them in a jar to pop into soups instead of celery.
They're kind of good just dried - like popcorn.
Only I doubt they'll ever replace popcorn as a snack.
It'll be interesting to see what else we find to do with them this year.
