Plant of the Week

Name: Watermelon Radish, aka Red Meat Radish, aka Mantanghong Radish, aka Beauty Heart
Latin Name: umm...I couldn't actually find this, so I think I'm going to go with Raphanus sativus barring a better solution.
Origin: east Asia

I personally prefer the name Watermelon Radish, because it is simple, beautiful, and it confuses people. Therefore, that is what I will be calling it for this post. Watermelon radish is a type of daikon radish. Hence, it is a fall/winter radish. (Um, for those of you in northern Wisconsin, that makes it a 'summer' radish...you can probably plant it in July and harvest in September.)

Anyway, unlike a "normal" radish, it is not spicy. It does taste like a radish, but the interior pink part is sweet and nutty with no heat. The white/green edge has a kick to it though. Also unlike a "normal" radish, it does not get woody and disgusting when its diameter exceeds 1 inch. This radish is supposed to have a diameter in excess of 3 inches.

Other than those differences, it really is similar to other radishes. The leaves are similar, although they do make a bigger plant. The seeds germinate quickly, and the plant itself grows quite quickly too. Flea beetles or a rogue cabbageworm (also known as those green worms on my broccoli/cauliflower/cabbage) will cause the most damage to the plants, but even they are relatively uncommon.

I really like eating watermelon radishes raw, but there are numerous recipes for them. Because they are Chinese radishes, there are a number of recipes for stir-fry and such things.