Summer gardens and farmers markets bring us a bounty of tomatoes and zucchini, but one vegetable that is fresh and tasty all year is the underappreciated radish.
Radishes are tasty and nutritious, but are still most often seen as garnishes. Read on for some more interesting, kid-friendly ways to prepare these bold vegetables.
Are radishes nutritious?
Radishes contain no protein or fat, and half a cup has one gram of fiber. There’s just not much to the radish in terms of macronutrients.
For vitamins, minerals, and health-giving compounds, it’s another story. Radishes are high in Vitamin C. That half cup of radishes gives you about 14% of the recommended daily dose of Vitamin C. They also provide potassium, Vitamin B6, magnesium, and iron.
Radishes are cruciferous vegetables, and they contain glucosinolate, sulforaphane, and isothiocyanate as well as various other compounds that make these vegetables good for you. Radish cousins include cabbage, kale, and broccoli. Kids who resist these green cousins may accept radishes, because they’re cute and bright colored.
The most familiar type of radish is the red globe radish, but you can also find white, purple, green, and black varieties. Watermelon radishes are green on the outside and red inside. They have a less peppery taste than the average radish.
How to enjoy radishes
10 delicious ways to serve radishes:
- Cut radishes into matchsticks and add them to salads and slaws.
- Slice them thinly and serve on buttered bread, French style.
- You can also add the slices to burgers.
- Roast radishes for 30 minutes with a little olive oil.
- Make a traditional spring salad with radishes, cucumber, and green peas.
- Add chopped radishes to potato salad.
- Pickle sliced radishes in vinegar and water.
- Grate radishes to add to tacos.
- Combine grated radishes and grated apple. Spread cream cheese on a tortilla, sprinkle on the radish and apple mix, and roll it up.
- Chop radishes and add them to salsa.
Increase the radish appeal
Radishes are easy to grow, and kids often are more willing to eat things they’ve grown. Choose some different kinds of radish seeds and plant them! You’ll have radishes ready to eat in one to two months.
It’s also fun to sample different shapes and colors of radishes in the grocery store or at the farmers market. Slice several different kinds and set them out with dip for an after-school snack.