Winter Radish Mix – Laurent Berrurier

Winter radishes are a different animal than their relative the spring radish. Harvested in the fall or early winter, they will keep for months in cold storage. It’s surprising to customers how big winter radishes are and because of that are often confused with rutabagas or turnips. They are crunchy and pungent, and perhaps a tad milder than their smaller cousins.

Not only are they beautiful and tasty, they are good for you. Radishes are a cruciferous root vegetable. They are from the Brassica family. Like their cousins broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower they contain a powerful antioxidant called Sulfurophane, which studies have shown to have a proven role fighting against cancer. They are also high in Vitamin C and are low in calories. Radishes contain many phytochemicals like indoles which are detoxifying agents and zea-xanthin, lutein and beta carotene, which are flavonoid antioxidants. Radishes have been consumed for centuries in China and other Asian countries and have been purported to aid in overall health. According to a popular Chinese proverb, “Eating pungent radish and drinking hot tea, let the starved doctors beg on their knees.”