Do you mean preserved whole? Or in other forms?

In Colonial days radishes were pickled whole, and I can give you a recipe for that. This will be what we now call a refrigerator pickle, as it's not processed.

Or I have a great recipe for a radish relish, that is processed.

Let me know either way.

gardenlad, I'd love to see your radish relish recipe. I grow a lot of Asian radishes.

I agree, please post both recipes, Gardenlad!
TIA,
Deanna

Here you go, guys.

The recipe was originally called Rosy Radish Relish. And when made with regular radishes it does have a rosy hue. But I make it with all sorts of radishes, including white daikon, colored Asians, and other winter radishes. So I just call it

Radish Relish

3 cups stemmed radishes
2 large ribs celery
1 large red onion
2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 tbls mustard seed
2 tsp dill seed
1/2 tsp celery seed
1 cup vinegar
2 tbls prepared horseradish

Put the radishes, celery and onion through the coarse blade of a grinder, or chop them fiely. Mix with remaining ingredients and allow to stand three hours. Bring to a boil in a large pan and cook ten minutes. Pour into hot jars, leaving half-inch head space. Adjust lids and process 1/2 pints and pints in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.

The next recipe was found in "Pleasures of Colonial Cookery," and is dated ca. 1720. Take that with a grain of salt, though, because it's doubful a pickling recipe from that time would have used so much sugar. Either way, it tastes great.

2 dozen radishes
1 cup sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
1 tbls musard seed
1/2 tsp celery seed
2 tsp dill weed

Stem radishes. Cut into roses if desired (I usually do)

Mix all other ingredients in a saucepan. heat until sugar is melted and mixture is clear. Add radishes.

Keep in fridge, or can in a boiling water bath 20 minutes. One cautionary note: Over time, the radishes get all puckered and wrinkly looking. This does not affect the flavor, but can be off-putting to some people. So you might want to keep the batches small, and use strictly as a refrigerator pickle.

Thanks Gardenlad!
I don't know if my fall radishes are going to amount to anything, but will definitely try this next spring.
Deanna

Gardenlad, those sound great. What do you use all your relishes for? I am still working through a huge batch of your Mama Hall's Green Tomato Relish. It's fantastic, but I only put it on fried green tomatoes. I don't eat a lot of meat and when I do it's usually a stew or a specific recipe that caught my eye and usually has its own accoutrements. Maybe I'll start putting relish on crackers with yogurt cheese.

Melissa

How you use relishes, Melissa, depends on your personal tastes.

I have a friend, for instance, who eats the radish relish right out of the jar, on crackers. Nothing wrong with that I can see. And, off the top of my head, yogurt cheese with any relish on a cracker wouldn't be bad. Even better: Try using slices of raw kohl rabi or raw jicama as the "cracker."

Relishes are often served on a plate as a way of perking up other foods; not always meat dishes. Think of them as a substitute for, say, raw onions, in that regard.

Both the Mama Hall's and the Radish Relish are great used to perk up a bowl of soup beans.

They make great additions to dips, too. Or can serve as the sole flavor ingredient. Try mixing together some Radish Relish and sour cream, for instance, and serve with a selection of crudities.

Radish relish substitutes easily in any recipe calling for horseradish. Try mixing some of it with ketchup for a down and dirty cocktail sauce for seafood. By the same token, mix the Mama Hall's with yellow mustard and spread that on hot dogs.

Basically, relishes are as versitile as the fresh veggies they are designed to replace.

I come from a family where a meal is not complete without a selection of pickles and relishes. They are so helpful in "sprucing up" a fast meal.

Thanks, gardenlad, for these recipes. I've never tried radish relish before, so it's on my list for next year. Anything akin to horseradish gets my vote.

Carol (Who's waiting for the horseradish leaves to die because she's out of the real McCoy. Total deprivation.)

Gardenlad,
I made pickled radishes - see recipe below - but was really put off by the odor and ended up throwing them out. You know how bad a radish burp smells, well magnify that ten times and you've got an idea of what these smelled like LOL I'm sure temped to try your recipe, does it have a strong odor too?
SOS

Pickled Radishes
4 bunches small radishes
3 cups white vinegar
6 T pickling salt
3 bay leaves
3 dried chiles
3 dill heads
30 peppercorns
3 garlic cloves, optional
Trim and wash radishes. Combine vinegar and picling salt. Put 1 bay leaf, 1 dried chile, 1 dill head, 10 peppercorns, and one garlic clove (if deseired) in each of 3 pint jars. Divide radishes between these and pack well. Pack more than you think will fit because they will float. Cover with vinegar mix, leaving ¼ to ½ inch headspace. You may water bath them for 10 minutes or age on counter a week and then just refrigerate. (I refrigerate right away)

Note: The radishes will turn white in the brine, turniing the brine a red color.

Thanks GL, I love kohlrabi but never see it around here. There's a Whole Foods in Charlottesville, after the farmers' market closes I'll treat myself to a trip there.

Those are all great ideas. My poor boyfriend had to put hummus in his first-ever attempt at beans & rice because it was so bland...I'll give him a jar for his next attempt. I think the green tomato relish would be perfect with Indian spices. From your ideas, I plan to use a half-pint of it as the vegetable component of sambar since I like the veg to blend in with the lentils, like eggplant rather than carrots or broccoli. I have put Mama Hall's inside a grilled cheese, that's good too.

Thanks!

Melissa

SOS: Mine only smell of the pickling mixture, which to me is a good, wholesome smell. Nothing off-putting about it.

Carol: I'm like you. Something pickled went on every plate, when I was growing up. So I had to think long and hard about suggestions for Mellisa because to me it's a no-brainer. Relishes go with everything!

One thing I've never been able to replicate, though. Used to be a chain in NY called Nedicks (sp?) that sold the worst hotdogs in the world. But they had a mustard relish that was to die for. I used to get the hotdogs just as an excuse to pile on the relish.

Been trying to duplicate it for years with no success. :>(

I just made a refrigerator pickle that included radishes, beets and onion. The recipe was so much like the one I use for pickled beets that I think you could use any pickled beet recipe. It's quite good.

I've attached a link to the preservation page on a website... right now it contains two recipes for radish preservation.

Here is a link that might be useful: How To Preserve Radishes - Radish Garden

I just recently did a fridge radish pickle. Super simple but came out sooo good.
Radishes
Sliced Banana Peppers (or other mild peppers)
A few whole garlic cloves
Half water and half white vineagar solution
A little salt

Ready to enjoy within a couple days!