in season / radishes

i’ve really meant to do more of these “in season” posts, but sadly this is the first one i’ve done since the inaugural pomegranate installment back in december. i’m going through a little online food photography class right now, though, and one of my goals is to get better at shooting fruits and vegetables, so i was inspired to restart this series.

i never really had radishes growing up; it was one of those vegetables my mom never bought because she said she’d eaten too many as a kid to put us through that. i figured that meant that radishes must be pretty bland, so i was pleasantly surprised when we picked some up at the farmer’s market for the first time last year and they were…spicy? i can’t say that radishes have become my favorite vegetable ever since, but i do buy a bunch every so often and am looking forward to the markets opening back up in a few weeks so we can get fresh, organic ones and some other varieties.

i have to admit that the standard way of eating radishes – raw, whole, in a veggie tray with dip – is not really my favorite. i like to chop them up a little smaller and use them as a condiment on any number of taco combinations, which we typically make several nights a week. and although cooking radishes isn’t very common, my friend ashly sauteed some in a little bit of butter during one of her visits, and we ate them with quinoa and swiss chard, which made for a delicious meal (you could also substitute in the radish greens for chard).

anyway, for being a super cheap, kinda dirty vegetable, i happen to think they’re actually quite pretty, and had a fun time photographing these. and it turns out that they’re pretty good for you, too – full of vitamin c and micronutrients like flouride (for your teeth!), magnesium, and phosphorus. they’re also low-calorie but have a high water content, so they’ll fill you up and provide you with some good fiber.

a few radish recipes if you’re feeling inspired to try one…

yogurt radish crostini | pita crisps with feta-radish spread | cinnamon sugar radish chips

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