Radishes are very easy to grow, even in small spaces such as windowsills, says Dr Alanna Collen. And the beauty of them is that you get two crops in one: the root and the leaves.
The pink, peppery root makes a fantastic pickle, and using salt brine in place of vinegar helps their fresh, spicy flavour shine through.
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You will need:
- 200g sterilised jar, with an airtight lid
- Grapevine leaf/horseradish leaf/bay leaves/a clean square of cloth, for weighing down
- 150g radish roots, tops removed
- A few sprigs of garden herbs (thyme, bay leaves, dill)
- 1 garlic clove, halved
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 100ml water
Method
- Clean the radishes. Pack them into the jar, tucking the herbs and garlic in as you go. Use a grapevine/bay/horseradish leaf, bay leaves or a clean cloth to cap the top of the radishes, which will hold them under the brine.
- Whisk the salt into the water until fully dissolved. Pour this brine over the radishes, filling the jar right to the top (you might have excess brine).
- Secure an airtight lid on the jar and set it on a plate (to hold brine that might bubble out). Leave to ferment at room temp for as little as 3 days or as long as 3 weeks (depends on how strong a flavour you want). The longer the ferment, the funkier.
- Transfer to the fridge to halt fermentation. Eat within 3 months. The pickles are lovely served with grilled mackerel or with hummus and a salad.
Taken from “Recipes to Reconnect”, edited by Anna Boglione, published by Octopus at £35. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £27.99 (incl. p&p), call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk.
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