I discovered radish pods by total accident last season. I was a bit lazy in my gardening maintenance due to travel and some of my radish plants bolted. I LOVE radishes, so I was a bit disappointed to start over, but little did I know what tasty morsels were about to appear. The plants went to flower then the seed pods followed. Out of curiosity, I decided to sample the succulent little pods. To my surprise, they were fantastic! The taste was spicy and peppery like a radish, but more tender and crispy. They had none of the toughness a radish can acquire when left too long or due to hot weather. Soon, the radish pod became a staple in our summer kitchen.
If you want to try radish pods, you can use any variety of radishes and let it bolt (or go to seed). One radish plant can yield hundreds of pods. Let some of the pods drop and you will also get some volunteer plants the following year. The Rattail Radish variety is ideal for radish pods production specifically because it does not produce a radish root. For me, I prefer the option of radish root or the radish pods.
Some great culinary uses for radish pods:
- Add some zing to salads
- Substitute for snap peas
- Adding freshness to a stir fry
- Pickled (try a recipe HERE)
- Lightly sautéed as a side dish
- Garden snacking
So don't fret this season if you miss out on a beautiful radish harvest. Let it go and enjoy the fruit of a second chance with radish pods. You can purchase radish seeds HERE.
My attempt at growing radishes this past spring failed, so instead I am hoping to encourage them to bolt so I can have pods and seeds. I bought a fancy bag of rice that had some radish seeds mixed in and they were delicious!
That’s good to know! Thanks!