What Is It?

Yes, it LOOKS like a watermelon, but is FAR from it. Not only is it not a melon, its not even sweet. “Peppery” is a better description, along with “spicy”, “sharp”, and sometimes even “sinus-clearing”. According to Wikipedia, that bite is,

“…caused by glucosinolates and the enzyme myrosinase which combine when chewed to form allyl isothiocyanates, also present in mustard, horseradish, and wasabi.”

If you guessed “watermelon radish”, you were correct.

Watermelon radish is a variety of radish that offers a dull, greenish or cream-colored exterior, with a vibrant red interior.

Some facts regarding watermelon radishes:

Alternate names include Read Meat Radish, Chinese Red Meat Radish, Red Heart Radish, and Roseheart.

Its goes from a seed to a harvestable edible in only 55 days… almost half of what it takes to yield a real watermelon…(and if you’ve been reading along, 4 days less than a mature Coturnix quail from an egg)

I grow mine in raised beds occasionally, but more often in self watering container made from rubber or plastic totes.

Watermelon radishes, like most radishes, offer a very wide range of places where it will grow. If you can achieve 60 days of 65-85 degree weather, you can grow these.

The flesh is crisp, offering a nice crunch when raw. Cooking them mellows any bite, and when cooked, they can be compared to turnips, in my opinion. I enjoy them sauteed in butter… or bacon grease. Back before my Paleo eating habits, I LOVED thinly sliced (raw) watermelon radishes on buttered bread. NO I do without the bread, but still like eating watermelon radishes.

Sliced thinly, they are a fantastic addition to a salad, offering their crunchy texture with the peppery bite to what I consider to be rabbit food. (Salad? That’s not food – that’s what food eats!”) Anything to add interest to a salad is a good thing in my book!

The tops are edible, though a bit coarse, so cooking them first is the best method of consuming them. Young leaves can be added to salads. The leaves also offer a peppery taste, though much milder than the roots. Flowers are also edible, as are the seed pods. All parts of the plant offer the flavorful “bite” to varying degrees.

Like most radishes, they are a cool weather crop, preferring temps under 70. Hotter weather imparts a sharper, spicier flavor. Those grown in cooler environments offer a more subtle flavor, even having sweet tendencies. I grow these in fall through early spring here in south Florida. Those I harvest in the late spring are always MUCH spicier. In fact, I ate one two days ago that rivaled any horseradish I’ve ever eaten. WOW! Talk about a KICK!

There are no known genetically modified strains, so they will breed true. Keep in mind you may have cross pollination if you have other varieties of radishes growing at the same time.

Each seed pod contains 2-6 seeds. Each plant will have several dozen pods. Let a few plants go to seed, and you will have plenty of seeds for the following season. Seeds stay viable for 4-5 years if kept in a cool, dry, dark location.

There are varieties of radishes that grow faster, some in as little as 21 days (the French Breakfast radish – also very tasty!). I do grow several varieties of radish, one grown solely for its edible seeds pods (the rat-tailed radish). When it comes to the edible root radishes, I prefer waiting a couple weeks more for the shocking color hidden inside these little gems.

Occasionally, you can find watermelon radishes at a farmer’s markets. A neighbor said he used to get them occasionally from his CSA box. Seeds can be hard to find locally, so I found mine online.
Amazon offers watermelon radish seeds here (affiliate link).

Either way you get them, they are well worth the effort, offering a great range of taste and uses, as well as very pleasing colors. Food should be fun….and these certainly fit that bill.

Peace,
db

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