Radishes

A member of the cole family, radishes have the same anticancer properties as broccoli and cabbage. The green leaves are good cooked and are high in beta carotene. Radishes were cultivated in acient times. The Egyptians fed them to the slaves who built the pyramids. In England they were known from the mid 1500's and used for various medicinal purposes including the treatment of kidney problems. It was also suggested in England that they be used to kill snakes by striking the snake with a large radish! The crispy white Icicle radish has been known since the 16th Century. Radish seeds grow in pods and these were often pickled and served with ale. Horseradish has a strange name because it is a corruption of the German "meerrettich" (sea radish) since they grew near the sea. The word became corrupted into mareradish by the English and then morphed into "horseradish." Radishes vary in colour from white to scarlet and there are shades of green radish and lavender radish. (Family: Cole, rassicaceae)

• General
• Latin
• Difficulty
• Season & Zone
• Timing
• Starting
• Growing
• Harvest
• Seed Info
• Diseases & Pests