In Recognition of the Radish

It was not Scarlett's finest hour. Wretched and bedraggled, she pulled a large radish from Tara's garden soil, ate it desperately, vomited, then raised her fist to the heavens, wailing, "I swear I'll never be hungry again!" So ends Part I of "Gone With the Wind," the movie.

Presumably the radish in question was overgrown, pungent and woody -- the only thing the Yankee soldiers hadn't taken when they moved on. But a more experienced farm girl would have washed it and boiled it up like a turnip to render it mild and tender. She'd have chopped the greens and added them to the pot for extra nutrients. Scarlett was hardly the first -- or last -- American to belittle the radish.

Though quite popular in Colonial days, this vegetable has become a minor crop -- a perky handful of little bright red globes to nibble raw before dinner, or to carve as a garnish. Both of these are perfectly good uses. The roots are justly prized as an appetite stimulant and tummy tonic. And in Japan, radish art is an exquisite craft -- in Oaxaca, Mexico, too, where radish-carvers vie for prizes on the Night of the Radish (Christmas Eve).

We rarely give the radish its due as a peasant food. Its name in most European languages simply means "root," which gives a good clue to its importance. In France it's a breakfast and supper dish; there's even a variety called French Breakfast, a petite elongated red type with white tips, sold in beautiful bunches in every market. Munich is famous for a large white turnip-shaped radish called Munchen Bier. Sliced and buttered, it is the standard accompaniment to dark beer. Round Black Spanish is among the standard winter keeper radishes -- black-skinned with crisp white flesh and just enough heat. There are also pink ones, purple ones (such as the heirloom Violette de Gournay), even hard-to-find yellow ones.

In Asia, radishes win the highest honors. If the tomato rules southern Italy and the eggplant Greece, the long, white daikon is king in Japan, where it is sliced, grated, shredded, boiled and stir-fried. A glance through the offerings of Evergreen Seeds is good introduction to Asian radishes. Some are great for pickling. Some are especially well suited to the popular Korean dish kimchi. Others have green shoulders and green flesh. And although all radish leaves are edible (they are brassicas, after all), some were bred especially for this purpose. There are even radishes grown for their edible seedpods, such as the curly green and purple Rat Tail. Pick these young and try them cooked or raw in salads and with dips.

I especially like the Beauty Heart type, white with red-streaked centers. Sliced, they are stunning in salads and glamorous in stir-fries. I also love the little White Icicle, crisp and sweet, which even stands up fairly well to warm weather. If you explore radish territory, you'll find that certain ones work for different times of year and different soils. For example, there are Asian ones suited to heavy clay soil that don't mind growing with most of the root aboveground. (Joy Larkom's "Oriental Vegetables" will give you an excellent introduction.)

If you've had a bad radish experience, your best bet is to try a number of types and planting schedules to see which suit your taste and your garden. And keep in mind a few basic facts about radish culture.

In general, hot weather produces hot radishes. The small ones are planted in spring or fall and harvested as soon as they look and taste ready (a series of quick crops in succession works best). Larger ones are started in mid- to late summer for harvest before severe frosts. Do everything you can to grow the roots quickly, because spending a long time in the soil can also lead to excessive heat. This means giving them fertile soil with well-matured organic matter (deeply dug for the long ones) and plenty of moisture, especially in warm weather. Floating row covers will protect early crops from flea beetles and root maggots.

Another trick is to use them as a nurse crop, sowing them along with a row of slow-to-germinate crops such as carrots. This has four purposes: to mark the row, to break the soil's crust so that the spindly little carrot seedlings can emerge, to shade them, and to console you if the carrots never come up at all.

Though I prefer small radishes, some can attain huge sizes -- 50 or 60 pounds, and even 100 if one medieval German writer is to be believed. If you find such a giant growing in your garden, hoist it proudly (if you can) and cook it up, or store it in your cellar. At the very least, you will never go hungry.

Some sources of radish seeds

Evergreen Seeds, www.evergreenseeds.com , 714-637-5769.

Johnny's Selected Seeds, www.johnnyseeds.com , 207-861-3901.

The Cook's Garden, www.cooksgarden.com , 800-457-9703.

John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds, www.kitchengardenseeds.com , 860-567-6086

Japanese radish.