Unusual Vegetable Plants

Radish - Mooli (Japanese Varieties).

When people think of Radishes they think of the small, red and white, roundish vegetable, grown in the Summer, often as a "Catch" crop between other vegetables such as tomatoes, for use in salads. However, there are two other main types of Radish that most people don't even know about in the UK.

Firstly, there are Mooli radishes which are Japanese varieties that usually grow far longer than those normally grown in the UK (up to 12 inches or more) and as such need deeper, stone free soil, to allow the roots to develop. Like most of the varieties of radish more commonly grown, they are harvested throughout the Summer months, but unlike most Summer salad varieties, Mooli Radishes are suitable for cooking. They can be used raw in salads, but they can also be sliced into strips and used in stir fries, or simply cubed and boiled in salt water for a few minutes.

Secondly there are Winter varieties of Radish, such as the various Spanish types, that can grow up to a foot or more and weigh several pounds. They are generally much stronger flavoured and courser in their texture than the Summer varieties and as such are better cooked than eaten raw, although one or two varieties are a little milder and make a nice addition to a rare Winter salad..