Picture of a pile of Daikon (giant white radish) in a supermarket in Japan. Deutsch: Daikon japanischer Typ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)The first time I met a daikon radish was at a macrobiotic cooking class many years ago.It was love at first bite - rather than the sharp taste of the salad radishes I was used to, the daikon had a more earthy, tempered and pleasant taste. I was hooked.
I have grown daikon many times since that long ago day, despite having given up my feeble attempts at the macrobiotic lifestyle years ago.
Daikon may not be too widely known in the U.S., but they are one of the most widely grown crops in Japan and other parts of Asia. And with good cause; every part of this delicious vegetable can be used.
The tops can be substituted in recipes calling for greens, steamed, or chopped and added to soup stock. The root can be eaten raw (grated with carrots is particularly tasty), steamed, stir-fried or baked.
Daikon is very easy to grow, and only takes 40-60 days to reach maturity. The roots can grow quite large - up to 18 inches - so be sure to give seedlings more room than you would for salad radishes.
Daikon grow best during the cooler months. For most parts of North America, daikon can be sown twice - one in early spring for a summer harvest and again after the summer heat has cooled for a late fall harvest.
Be sure to harvest daikon roots before the plants set flowers or you'll end up with a nearly-wooden tasting root. Take care when harvesting and go slowly; the roots can be somewhat delicate and brittle.
Daikon is hard to freeze but easy and delicious to pickle. It also dries well. The dried and powdered root can be reconstituted with water to make a tasty winter broth.
You can also preserve daikon with proper root cellaring (best in moist sawdust) or leave the roots in the ground (but you'll need to remove them before the ground freezes over).
The easiest way to preserve the roots is by removing the tops (use them to make soup stock) and putting the roots in the refrigerator, where they will keep for 1-2 months if stored properly.
Have you ever grown daikon? If not, do you plan to give it a try?
Interesting! I don't think I've ever eaten that. I'll have to keep an eye out at the store and give it a try.
ReplyDeletenever tried to grow it, it's too easy to find in our local markets. I love it though.
DeleteMimi Torchia Boothby Watercolors
I love red radishes. I'll have to try the Daikon.
ReplyDeleteNow following becuase you have a lot to teach me.
Shelly
http://secondhandshoesnovel.blogspot.com/
Thanks Shelly, I hope we all have a lot to learn from each other here!
DeleteWow! I'll have to check at the supermarket and see if I can locate any of them. I'm always willing to try new stuff. Thanks so much. Best regards to you. Ruby
ReplyDeleteOh, yeah, when I saw the title of your blog, I thought it meant you were a new mama, not one who likes green plants. Ha. Ruby
ReplyDeleteSorry for the confusion Ruby! I guess I never considered that meaning for the word green when I was thinking of titles :)
DeleteI haven't grown it, but it turns up on the discount produce table sometimes, and I really like it. I'm trying to visit all the A-Z Challenge Blogs this month.
ReplyDeleteWell thanks for visiting here and I hope you meet your goal - I think there's over 1900 bloggers doing A-Z? Enjoy!
DeleteI LOVE the new blogs I've found thru the A to Z Challenge! I'm determined to have a container garden this year so will be checking back here frequently. THANKS!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Shelly - glad you enjoy the blog. I spent years container gardening - let me know how I can help you meet your goal.
ReplyDelete