Forget those crunchy, bland, red, pink and white radishes found on relish plates. They’re tasteless in comparison to Rat Tail radish pods.
In another couple of weeks, I’ll be planting radishes that grown for their pods, not their tubers.
Plants produce abundant foliage, and tall flower stalks quickly early in the spring.
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When the lavender flowers are pollinated, they turn into crispy pods with the signature mustard-nuanced flavor all in the radish family have.
Rat Tail radish pods are crunchy and full of flavor.
Credit: All photos by Doreen G. Howard
Podding radishes (Raphanus caudatus) are like other radishes in that they need cool weather for top flavor and very cool soil (as soon as it can be worked) for best growth. But, podding radishes tolerate heat better than root radishes when temperatures soar.
Rat Tail pods begin to form in 40 to 50 days, lower ones ripening first. Pick the teardrop-shaped pods when they are tender, before they become fibrous. The 4- to-12-inch long pods are most crisp and flavorful when about pencil-thick.
Pod colors range from green to green mottled with lavender to purple. The purple ones are the spiciest.
Another podding radish, Munchen Bier (55 days) also produces a large white turnip-shaped root when planted late in the summer. When soil turns cooler, flower stalks and mild pods form, too. The radish root is traditionally sliced thin, dipped into salt and served with beer in Germany.
Podding radishes were planted in most gardens during the Civil War era, but faded from favor in the early 1900’s. Originally from Java, they migrated to this country with immigrants and gathered favor with gardeners quickly. Heirloom enthusiasts, including me, rediscovered podding radishes in the 1980’s.
The pods are crunchy additions to that first spring salad and fast-to-grow pickle material. Packed with Vitamin C, podding radishes also offer plenty of other low-cal, high-fiber nutrients.
Here’s my favorite radish pod pickle recipe. You can make these in as little as eight hours.
2 cups of pods
1 tsp. sea salt
2 TBS. rice wine vinegar
Ground black pepper
Sesame seed oil
Put pods in a mixing bowl and sprinkle with salt. Cover and chill for 30 minutes. Drain accumulated liquid and rinse to remove the salt. Pat dry with paper towels and return to bowl. Add rice wine vinegar, a dash or two of ground black pepper and a couple drops of sesame seed oil. Refrigerate at least 8 hours.
Doreen G. Howard
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I buy Rats Tail radish seeds for the pods from Baker Creek seeds....
where can i buy these seeds in stores like home depot, lows or menards if i not order on line help me
I bought mine on ebay. Grew them for the first time this year and I have a bumper crop! Let some pods go to seed and you can enjoy them year after year.
What zone do they grow in? I'm in FL, zone 9 and was wondering if I could grow them here? Thank you!
Yes, they will grow in Florida and other Gulf Coast areas with torrid summers. Treat them as a winter crop, seeding them in mid-October. By Thanksgiving, you should have your first pods. Chill the seeds in the refrigerator for at least two weeks before planting to trick them into sprouting in ground that is a bit warmer than spring soil.
so, mam, does this mean any normal radishes can work. i can just let me radishes keep growing and get these radish green bean pods? like idea of getting more out of my harvest.
Unfortunately, Andy, any radish variety will not work. They all will form pods eventually (that's how they produce seed), but the pods will be tough and tasteless!
