It’s radish time at last, and the French Breakfast Radish (Raphanus sativus), a red-skinned root vegetable in the Brassicaceae family with a white splash at the root end, is my favorite. Crisp and refreshing, not too woody or spicy (at least if harvested before hotter days over-mature it), and oh-so beautiful, this late spring through early summer classic is a perennial staple of Rosslyn’s vegetable garden.
Distinguished by its oblong shape (picture an oval slightly more elongated than spherical) and delicate flavor, these early to mature, fast growing treats are as perfect for on-the-go snacks as they are for salads and sandwiches. In France this crisp, colorful breakfast and lunch accompaniment is usually eaten raw with butter and a bit of salt.
The French Breakfast Radish tends to be mild (less “spicy” than other standard radishes) if harvested and eaten early. Widely considered a spring radish, it’s ideally grown and harvested when temperatures are still cool. Hotter temperatures increase the “spiciness” (peppery bitterness common to most radishes) and often result in a pithy interior.
As with standard radish varieties, the “radish greens” of the French Breakfast Radish can also be eaten. Washed and tossed into a saucepan of olive oil (or avocado oil), garlic, and onion, this wilted green is a delicious accompaniment to just about any meal!
Nota bene: If you harvest, store, and then discover that your gems have wrinkled up and lost their luster, just plunk them into a bowl of water and put them back in your refrigerator. A few hours later the greens will have recovered, the radishes will have plumped, and the lipstick red will glow once again.
French Breakfast Radish Posts on Rosslyn Redux
The following list shows my previous posts in which you’ll find a French Breakfast Radish “cameo” (and in some cases a bit more than a cameo.) Enjoy!
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