Watermelon Radish- A Hidden Treasure
I was perusing the veggies at our local farmer’s market this weekend and I saw a sign for watermelon radish. Curious, I bought a small bunch of these light green radishes and continued on my way. I came home and promptly put them in my fridge. I had totally forgotten about them, but by mid-week I needed to finish our quickly withering arugula. I discovered the radishes tucked away under the arugula. Imagine the delight of cutting open the insipid, light green skin to find a gorgeous, crimson heart tucked away inside. What a splendid secret … modest and unassuming on the outside, but heart-achingly beautiful within.
Oh, and the taste…it is far more mild than a regular radish. Slightly sweet at first with a delicate bite at the end. The watermelon radish is an heirloom variety of the daikon radish. It is a member of the cruciferous vegetable family, but is often overshadowed by it’s more celebrated siblings: broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage.