Old Mother Frugal recalls reading books of Mother Goose nursery
rhymes to her Mother’s Little Helpers when they were little babes.
“Mary, Mary quite contrary…how does your
garden grow?”
Ah…the tale of how the garden grows!
Fast forward several decades to an area in the yard
designated for gardening. Year in and
year out, futile attempts are made to grow vegetables and herbs.
And year in and year out, the neighboring deer find their
way to Old Mother Frugal’s small garden patch and nibble through her garden as
if it’s their own appetizer patch.
This holiday weekend another attempt will be made to plant,
with the intent to reap what will be sown. Besides the standard tomato,
and zucchini plants, this year may include radishes.
Old Mother Frugal has recently rediscovered this
vegetable. A local market sells them in
bunches, right from the ground – mud included. That means, the greens are still
attached to the tops of the radish.
When selecting radishes, search for the bunch
with the most radishes. The price is the
same whether the bunch has 8 radishes or 14 radishes!
Old Mother Frugal has been reading, with much interest, about
foraging. Locally, greens are treated with
“fertilizer” from animals which prevent harvesting them for consumption.
Which cycles Old Mother Frugal back to the local market for her "greens".
When buying radishes by the bunch with greens attached, it
may seem so easy to just discard the radish tops as trash. But have you ever considered cooking them for
use in a recipe? Much like spinach, kale
or any “greens”, radish tops are edible greens.
Old Mother Frugal has used them on egg sandwiches and in
soups. They can be used in pasta dishes, to make pesto or as a vegetable side
dish sautéed in olive oil and garlic. With a bitter taste to them, it may taste
like a mustard green or broccoli rabe.
Fifty cents is a small investment for a bunch of radish. Use
the radish in a salad, or in a sandwich for added crunch or as a snack. The use
the bonus radish greens for an entirely separate recipe.
The next time you are in your local market seek out these
bundles of red roundness with green leafy tops.
If you really don’t like them, well…there is always compost for your
garden!
SOUND THE BUGLE! Today’s tip: Buying
seasonal fruits and vegetables are good ways to save money in your food
budget. In summertime, scoop out
watermelon pulp; use the rind to make relish.
Lemon, lime and orange rinds make for homemade cleaners. Begin to use all parts of your food items
before you toss your money in the trash!
RADISHES
ICE WATER BATH
SAUTE IN OLIVE OIL AND GARLIC
SERVE ON ENGLISH MUFFIN WITH HAM AND EGG
