History
The radish has a long history going back thousands of years to the ancient Egyptian and Chinese times. The Greeks and the Romans were also known to utilize the benefits of the radish, and the Romans spread its use to many other European countries. The radish was later introduced to America in the 1500s.
The radish was used for its medicinal value where it was believed to stimulate appetite, prevent indigestion and constipation, and treat melancholy. During the middle age, it was also consumed to “treat” rheumatism and insanity.
Radish Facts
There are various varieties of radishes and the most common can be categorized into spring, summer, and winter types. The spring types are grown from early spring to late summer, the summer types from the late summer to fall, and the winter types from midsummer until before the ground freezes in the fall. The winter types, which include China Rose, Chinese White, Round Black Spanish, and Tama Hybrid, are larger in size, maintained at high quality longer, have stronger flavor, may be black, white, or green, and take longer time to mature (52-70 days) than the spring types. The spring types, including Burpee White, Champion, Cherry Belle, French Breakfast and others, take 22-28 days to mature and are often small and have a red, pink, purple, white, or red and white color. They can be globe-shaped or elongated, and have a fiery hot or mild flavor.
The spring type radish could be stored refrigerated in a plastic bag for 5-7 days. Remove the green tops and store separately. If the greens come from a spring type radish they can be consumed within 2-3 days. The winter types could be stored for several months.
Nutrition Information for 1/2 cup slices: Calories: 8, Carbohydrates: 2 g, Protein: 0 g, Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 9 mg, Fiber: 0 g