The French Breakfast Radish

We have an organic farm in the next county ( Morris County, NJ) that sells produce on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays that is picked on the very morning that it is sold. Their vegetables are as pretty to look at as they are fresh and delicious. I was told by the farm manager that these are French Breakfast radishes that are thinly sliced and eaten on buttered toast in France. They have a much milder flavor than I am accustomed to, and the leaves provide some kick when added to a salad.

Naturally, I couldn’t resist painting them. The French Breakfast radish has a more cylindrical shape compared to the more globular form of Red Globe radishes that are commonly found in supermarkets. The cylindrical red shaped parts of the radish are actually the roots. My painting was done with Sennelier pastels on a dark blue Mi-Tientes paper. French pastels to go with French radishes.

The leaves are great mixed in with other greens in a tossed salad. For a chopped salad I thinly sliced radishes, diced cucumbers and mint leaves. I dressed the salad with a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of lime. Mint is a very easy plant to grow and quite useful to have on hand. It spreads like a weed, and is currently fighting for dominance with the lily of the valley in my garden.