Daikon Radish
This long radish packs a mild-to-spicy punch and comes in white, green, purple, and pink varieties, it's length making it perfect for easy chopping.
Flavor profile: Simultaneously sweet, crisp, and spicy like a radish should be, daikon radishes come in a variety of colors and tend to be sweeter in the cold and spicier in summer.
Uses: Large radishes like daikons are wonderfully multi-purpose. Their length makes them perfect for chopping into matchsticks for salads, slaws, and ferments, and also easily fills up a roasting pan or soup pot.
Pairs with: carrots, cabbage, vinegars, spicy chilis
Storage: Roots are best stored in plastic bags to retain their moisture. Anytime you bring home root veggies that still have their greens attached, the plant will continue to pull water out through the leaves and respire, so always remove the greens and store separately from the roots.
Other names: White radish, Chinese radish, Japanese radish, mooli
Nutrients: All radishes are high in Vitamin C and calcium, and contain multiple enzymes that aid in digestive health, as well as being a natural diuretic that cleanses the kidneys.
History: Traditionally, daikon radishes have been beloved throughout Asia for hundreds of years and are fermented in kimchis to be stored and enjoyed throughout the winter.
Why it's a great crop: Daikon radishes are a perfect winter storage crop that can be left in the ground until harvested, and they are one root that takes advantage of vertical space, growing partway underground and partway above the soil. This means that farmers tend to get great yields per acre, while also having a little tillage help from the long roots, leaving the soil more aerated and healthier than it was before.
