Last week at the farmer’s market, I picked up a beautiful bunch of fresh radishes. After I got home, I searched: “are radish tops safe to eat?” Google replied: “Yes! Safe, and radish leaves are commonly eaten by many people around the world.” Next I asked Google: “What nutrients are in radish leaves?” Back came the reply from MedIndia: “Lots of calcium, vitamin C, beta carotene.” Great, I thought: “These radish leaves are real winners! Now let’s see what I can make with them…”
Off to the kitchen I went. I steamed the radish greens until they were slightly wilted. Then I sprinkled the wilted greens with balsamic vinegar and decorated the greens with sliced radishes. The deep sweet tang of the balsamic vinegar perfectly complimented the peppery taste of the radish greens! This simple and delicious dish was great both as a warm side dish and as a cold salad. I will never throw radish greens out again!
Key ingredient – Balsamic Vinegar. The success of this recipe depends on the quality of the balsamic vinegar. The overly biting balsamic vinegars that are colored with caramel and thickened with cornstarch will ruin the taste of this dish! My favorite balsamic vinegar is Under the Olive Tree’s Traditional Balsamic Vinegar. Aged up to 18 years in special barrels , it has a deep sweet-sour flavor with only 2 grams of sugar and 3 grams of carbohydrate (10 calories) per tablespoon!
What else can you do with radish leaves (and radishes too)? For recipes, see my Pinterest Board.
What other vegetable greens can you eat? Beet greens are edible and delicious too!
What vegetable greens should you not eat? Some vegetable greens, such as carrot tops/greens, are toxic! So do your research before you bite!
Enjoy your radishes and radish greens – one of nature’s “buy-one-get-one-free vegetables!”
Enjoy and be healthy!
~Leni
Monamifood 