First experience with 'White Icicle'

Having never grown any type of radishes before, I am impressed by these oriental radishes - 'White Icicle'. Being a small version of the more commonly used Chinese radish, they are ready for harvest in just over three weeks.

On its seed package, all the radishes line up nicely in even sizes, unlike mine. Mine taste just as good. The reason they haven't looked great for me? I grew them in a no-dig garden, which means there is little ground preparation before sowing anything. These radishes are up to 15cm long, were growing in a spot where there used to be some bok-choy about 4 months before. The strong roots of bok-choy did all the digging required to grow these radishes. While this spot was not being used, it always had some mulch protecting it from being dried and hardened.

There are many ways to use oriental radishes. Being a Taiwanese, I like to use them in soups. Tonight, this fresh harvest made their way to a pot of beef stew along with onion and carrot. It makes the dish naturally sweet and has an up-lifting flavour!