April 2025

Black Radish

I discovered last fall a new vegetable: Spanish Black Radish. It's a small black root, the size of a golf ball up to the size of a tennis ball. I discovered it at a farmer's market. You are likely to find it in eastern European stores. It's harvested just before the winter and you can easily keep it until the end of the winter if you store it in a cold room. I keep it in an unheated garage which is attached to the house (the garage is a bit humid and above freezing).

Black Radish

I love the detoxifying and revitalizing effects of fresh Dandelion (see "A springtime salad?"). It helps the liver and gives me new energy after a long Canadian winter. The problem is that fresh Dandelions are only available in spring. Black Radish is somewhat similar in benefits but different in taste. It helps also the liver but it's available throughout the winter.

Even the medical community has noticed the benefits of Black Radish and studied it: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4295395/.

Look for a black root the next time you pass by some Polish, Romania, Ukrainian or Russian store. It's black on the outside and white on the inside.

Russians have apparently used it for generations to strengthen the immune system and to detoxify the liver. It's said to be able to dissolve the salts of heavy metals and decreases thus overall inflammation.

Here is a recipe:

1 Table spoon of unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped
2 black radishes, chopped
1 potato, peeled and cut into chunks
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup of cream (35% cream)

Heat the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion, and saute until soft and translucent. Add the radishes, potato, salt, pepper, and 3 cups of water. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Add the cream and enjoy!