Radish
In Mexico, 24 hours before Christmas Eve in the city of Oaxaca people do the strangest things with radishes. Sculptors create amazing hand-carved scenes from the Nativity and daily life in Oaxaca, all made using very large radishes. Search online for Noche de Rabanos (Night of the Radishes) and behold. We prefer Stefan’s radish mice though (see below!).
Radishes are related to wasabi often found in Japanese cuisine and a type of horseradish.
Nutrition
Radishes are a great way to pack in your folic acid and a source of vitamin C. Vitamin C supports our immune system to fight off the flu.
Shopping Guide
Look for bright and smooth radishes, free of cracks and cuts. Any leaves still attached should be vibrant and firm.
Storage
Wrap them in a damp paper towel and keep in the fridge for up to a week.
Serving Suggestions
Radishes are an edible root vegetable usually eaten raw in salad. Try thin radish slices, watercress, chopped spring onions and apple slices for a great summer salad which goes well with chicken. You should also try roasted radishes, yes, roasted! Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6.
Seasonality
Buying veg in season is not only great for the planet, it can be good for your wallet, too! Seasonal veg are often cheaper and frequently taste better, so can be a better time to try with a child as the often sweeter, riper taste is more enjoyable.
Coming In:
April
At Its Best:
May - October
Engage
Here are some of our favourite ways to engage kids with radishes:
Arts & Crafts
Start simple with some non-food based engagement. This is especially helpful for a fussier child or those with sensitivities around food.
DOWNLOADS:
For radishes, why not try making a radish face mask by printing our carrot mask and colouring in with radish colours instead?
Science
Science allows for curiosity, play and hands-on experiments. It helps kids to become fascinated with veg – how it looks, reacts, smells, cooks and more. Finding fun and simple experiments to allow kids to play with their veg makes them curious about it and helps them approach it in a positive way.
Why not try your hand at making radish mice? Stefan Gates shows you how to chop and combine bits of radishes to make cute little mice to add some fun to a veg snacking plate.
Sensory
Sensory exploration can be a wonderful introduction to physically interacting with veg. Turn it into a positive, pressure-free experience by starting off with the golden rules of “You don’t need to try and you don’t need to like.” Reassuring a child that, while they have a chance to taste a veg, they don’t have to, and are not expected to like it if they do, can make them more happy to engage with it.
Radishes can be fun to explore through smell and hearing. Ease in by describing what you see and what the colours and patterns and shape remind you of. Then chop a radish in half and see what it smells like? Describe the smell and see if your child is willing to try a bit to see if it tastes like it smells. To explore through hearing, try crunching (or snapping if not willing to put into mouths) and describing the crunch and noise levels. If you can, try crunching again with headphones on to see if it changes how loud it is!
Kids in the Kitchen
Children who help to prep and cook veg are more likely to eat it. If you feel your child is ready to help and could benefit from it, keep the stress and mess to a minimum by choosing one simple task for them to do as part of the prep, meaning they can be involved and feel like the recipe is in part ‘theirs’, but also not make the process too much longer or more complicated.
For a younger child, why not buy a bunch of radishes that still have the greens attached and let your child wash the radishes and then tear off or cut off the greens of each radish with scissors? Or make a simple dip with them to serve the radishes with. Try a simple hummus or salsa or guacamole together.
For an older child, it could be a great opportunity to practise some essential knife skills. Show them how to safely halve radishes using the bridge grip.
DOWNLOADS:
Use our Kitchen Ninja chart and videos to find simple ways for kids to help in the kitchen.
Your Food
Find your go-to meals in our family favourites section and see what veggies work best with them.
Find out how to add more veg to your suppers here.
Recipes
Serving
The moments before food is offered can be a perfect opportunity for engagement that can help make it more likely a child will eat it!
The first thing to do is remove the pressure. If the veg doesn’t get eaten, it’s not the end of the world. There will be other days, other dinners, other chances. Fun is key here – try not to worry about mess, perfect table manners, or playing with food. Instead, focus on making the process of getting the food to the plates, readying the table, and the actual eating relaxed.
The best principles for success here are the Three Rs (role modelling, rewarding, re-offering) which you can read about here.
But there is one more way you can serve for success, and that is giving your child a role. You don’t have to do this every time, just encourage them in their strengths through it when you can.
Here are some of our favourite ideas:
Design a menu
Come up with a silly name or story for a dish
Help with making a meal plan and choosing veg for dinners or snacks
Help to serve up the meal on dishes, lay the table or create a centrepiece to be involved in the physical ‘serving up’ process
The Wonderful World of Veg
Check out our vegepedia. When to buy in-season. How to store them to keep for longer. How to engage children with each veg, and simple ideas of how to prepare and cook them for maximum taste and minimum waste. Select a veg…