The first crop to be pulled out of our garden and enjoyed this year has been our endless bounty of radishes. They are nothing fancy, just your run-of-the-mill cherry red garden radish, but they have been a crunchy, spicy blessing that I relish pulling out of the soft dirt in my own backyard. Especially after the extraordinarily long winter that lasted well into May and threatened to eat up any hope of having any sort of garden at all.

Radish Kimchi
Not your traditional Mexican food recipe, but such a delicious twist on kimchi. Fresh garden radishes marinated in crushed red pepper, garlic, and ginger.
Adapted slightly from New York Times
Ingredients
- 1 pound radishes
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon Turkish crushed red pepper (pul biber) or Korean chile flakes
- 1-inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 large garlic clove, grated
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Thoroughly scrub radishes, trim away roots and most of the green stems, leaving 1/8 inch on top and halve or quarter them. Place radishes in a bowl and toss with salt. Let rest for 20 minutes. Drain radishes in a colander set over a bowl, reserving brined juices. Rinse radishes quickly, then shake them to remove excess water.
- In a large bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons water with the crushed pepper, ginger, garlic, and sugar. Add drained radishes and mix well to coat with paste. Pack into a pint jar with a tight-fitting lid, then pour the reserved brine into the bowl with the chile paste residue, mix it around to capture leftover seasonings, and pour brine into jar (the liquid will not cover the radishes). Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 30Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 990mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 1g
Kate, I’m so glad you shared this! I’m most definately making this. Delicious. I should have bought that enormous $1 bag of radishes I saw at the farmer’s market. 🙂
Yes, Sarah, you have to. They are so easy and soooo good!