Radish – it is such a versatile vegetable that you can use in many different ways. Shred them to make coleslaw or put them in the stew. Or why not bake them, or boil them, or steam them too? Make radish cake or eat radish raw. And don’t forget another classic favorite: pickled radish. There are many kinds of pickled food out there, and pickled radish should be among our top choices. According to the book Mouthfeel: How Texture Makes Taste, “daikon is a somewhat overlooked delicacy that can be turned into a pickle that is so crisp that it positively crackles.”
Pickled Radish Trivia
- The term “daikon” which is synonymous with radish means “big root” in Japanese.
- Daikon goes by many other names – winter radish, white radish, Japanese radish, Chinese radish, lobak, mooli, and luobo.
- Different radish varieties come in different colors, including white, pink, even black! Regardless of the exterior color, the flesh inside is often white, except watermelon radish. It has red flesh.
- It is common to see different kinds of radishes sold in the market, like daikon radish, watermelon radish, red radish, and French breakfast radish.
Pickled Radish Buying Guide
Pickled radishes are available in big supermarkets and grocery stores. In Texas, you can find big food brands sold in major retail locations. For example, Walmart in Texas has different brands of pickled radishes for customers to choose from.
We recommend you go local! There are many small, local businesses that make small-batch pickled radish, usually using their surplus radish from their farm or backyard garden. Texas US Farms, a family-owned aquaponics and flower farm that grows and sells high-quality fresh produce, tilapia, eggs, microgreens, and flowers, makes and sells sweet pickled radishes, and customers love this product especially in salads. Bucking Goat Farm, in Frisco, also makes pickled radish.
When buying pickled radish, check the packaging. Make sure there is no damage or anything that suggests the content inside has been compromised and rendered unsafe to consume. Check if the plastic seal is intact. Inspect the contents inside (jars are usually transparent or see-through, allowing you to see the contents of the jar).
If you have certain dietary restrictions, check the label. You can find a gluten-free pickled radish.
Pickled Radish Production & Farming in Texas
Radish is available in Texas all year. In Central Texas, the harvest of radish is usually from March to April and then again from October to December.
Commercial growers pick the smoothest and well-formed radishes and send their best produce to pickle companies that make pickled radish. Many businesses prefer to source locally for the supply of radishes. Once radishes are delivered, they will be cleaned and processed for canning. These jars will be sealed, labeled, and stored in boxes for delivery to different point-of-sale locations.
Many Texas businesses produce pickled radish, and you can buy pickled radish in the supermarket or when you go to the grocery store. You can also order online and have a jar of pickled radish shipped to you. You can order pickled radishes via Amazon.
There are also many small, local, artisanal businesses with e-commerce capabilities that allow you to order online, which can be delivered to your doorstep. Your online order can also be picked up via curbside or store pick-up options.
Besides commercial growers, small-scale farmers, gardeners, and enthusiasts also grow radishes, in small farms or backyard gardens. They use harvested radishes to make pickled radishes, and sell surplus radishes in farmers’ markets along with pickled radishes; market.
Pesticides, Additives, and Chemicals
Pickled radish may contain these additives.
- Acetic Acid –
- Calcium Chloride – This is used as a firming agent. This is also used to give food, especially pickled and fermented vegetables, a salty taste, without increasing the food’s sodium content.
- Sodium benzoate – Also called benzoic acid. This is added to improve the shelf life of pickled radish.
- Tartrazine – This is also called FD&C Yellow #5. This food coloring is a synthetic lemon yellow azo dye. Tartrazine is also known as E number E102, C.I. 19140, Yellow 5 Lake, Acid Yellow 23, Food Yellow 4, and trisodium 1–4–5-pyrazolone-3-carboxylate.
Geography
Daikon is native to Asia. This is a very popular crop in many Asian countries, including Korea. Koreans also enjoy making and eating pickled radish, which they call danmuji or pickled daikon radish.
Packaging
Pickled radishes are sold in glass or plastic bottles with a sealed lid or cover. Check the plastic seal. It should be intact. If this is broken or damaged, the product may have been tampered with and the quality and safety have been compromised. Do not buy pickled radish with damaged safety seals, or those that have other signs of damage like cracks on the bottle.
An important part of the packaging is the label, which contains important information for the consumers, including the name of the manufacturer, expiration or best-before date, ingredients, nutritional information, storage instruction, etc.
You can also buy single-serving pickled radish in sealed transparent plastic packaging.
Enjoying Pickled Radishes
Pickled radish has a mild, slightly sweet flavor. This is served as a condiment on banh mi, a Vietnamese sandwich. This is served as a side dish or banchan in Korea. It is a great component of a charcuterie platter. Pickled radish is great with fatty meats and tacos.
Storage
Two months in the refrigerator after opening the jar, the pickled radishes will still remain crunchy. But don’t expect the crunchiness of radishes to stay the same as when you first opened the jar. The radish will eventually turn soft or soggy after being submerged in the brine for a long time.
Read the label of the jar of store-bought pickled radish you bought. It should have instructions regarding storage. But the rule of thumb when it comes to making sure your pickled radish is safe to eat and keeps for a long time is to refrigerate it, especially once you’ve opened the jar.
When storing pickled radish, never keep the jar’s contents exposed without the lid on it. Close it after you are done scooping it out.
Cooking
There are also a lot of people who want to make pickled radish at home, sometimes using an old family recipe.
Peel the radishes and then cut them to matchsticks or julienne or cubes, depending on what you want. The next step is to make the pickling liquid. Mix water, sugar, and salt. Add the vinegar to the mixture. Put the radishes inside the jar and pour the pickling liquid. The last step is to seal the jar and refrigerate.
MasterClass, an American online education subscription platform, offers a free tutorial for beginners on how to pickle daikon radishes. Here are some tips, according to MasterClass:
- Make sure to remove excess water from the radish. Use cheesecloth or squeeze the water from the radish by using your hands.
- Adjust the sugar or vinegar level depending on how you want your pickled radish to taste.
- Add ingredients to create complex flavors like peppercorns, herbs, and spices.
Nutritional Benefits
Pickled radish is a low-calorie food. It contains dietary fiber, folate, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, vitamin K, zinc, copper, manganese, and potassium. Radish is one of the many cruciferous vegetables which have anti-cancer properties as well as antifungal properties. Eating pickled radish is also good for our digestive system.
Radish can also help the body in controlling the damage to our red blood cells, not to mention fortifying the blood vessels. Radish also helps keep our heart functioning properly. It also helps improve our immunity. If you are looking for food that will help stabilize your blood pressure, put radish on that list. Radish can also help improve our skin.
