What's in Season: Crunchy, juicy, red radishes

Kaylyn Fino of Fino Farms and some of her radishes. Amy Sowder Photos

Loaded with vitamins and minerals

By AMY SOWDER

Kaylyn Fino straightened her orange carrots in their paper towel-lined wicker basket and rearranged her bunches of curly kale chilling in their ice bin as people strolled by.

She answered questions and confirmed prices at her food-laden tented tables representing Fino Farms among about 30 other local vendors. This sunny Sunday morning in May was the second day of the 2025 season at the Farmers Market at Muscoot Farm in Katonah, held every Sunday through mid-November.

Next to the carrots, a gleaming pile of pretty-in-pink radishes popped with their vivid countenance. That’s the Crunchy King radish there, or Raphanus sativus, a familiar variety seen in supermarkets nationwide. But this bunch took root in the fertile farm owned by Kaylyn Fino’s father, Anthony, in Milton on the west bank of the Hudson River about an hour north of Katonah. 

This familiar variety is known for its blemish-free red spheres, consistently high pack-outs, a longer harvest window, and dense green edible tops that help prevent weeds.

“They have a nice spice to them, real crunchy, juicy, spicy,” Kaylyn Fino said, pausing between customers. “I’ll pick one from the ground, take a bite and be like ohhh.” Her eyes squinted and her mouth formed a giant O.

Her fourth-generation family farm has been operating for more than 80 years. Today, they farm more than 300 acres of fruit and vegetables and have high-tech cold storage facilities enabling them to sell some produce year-round.

Soon, Crunchy King’s flashier group of cousins, the Easter Egg clan, will join the family at Muscoot Farmers Market. The celebratory bunch is resplendent in pinks, purples, reds, and whites and are actually several varieties planted together (most commonly White Beauty, Pink Beauty, Purple Plum and Cherry Belle). 

“They’re a little sweeter and really pretty,” Fino said.

The flashiest red radish is the watermelon variety with its green exterior and red flesh inside. Overall, radishes come in many shapes and sizes and can be harvested May through September. Fino Farms’ uniform globes of the Crunchy King last into July, Fino said.

Compared to carrots, beets, and the ever-popular potato, this reddish radish is the peppery underdog of the underground. Crunchy as it may be, the root with the snowy white interior has historically been more popular in other cultures than it has in the United States.

Farmers began cultivating them in Mexico in the 15th century. Pickled radishes are popular in Chinese and Japanese cuisine, while Egyptian farmers grow them mainly for their greens. 

Yet in the decorative arts, radishes are rooted in symbolism. Ancient Egyptians revered radishes, also cultivating them as an offering to the gods. Greeks and Romans featured radishes in artworks as a symbol of strength and good fortune.

But there could be radish renaissance: The global fresh radish market was worth $1.41 billion in 2023, according to data firm Spherical Insights, and it’s projected to reach $2.54 billion in only eight more years, due in part to rising consumer demand for healthy eating options.

Radishes are not only nutrient-dense, they have pharmaceutical potential because of their vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants, according to researchers. The extracts of radishes have been used to treat stomach disorders, constipation, urinary infections, hepatic inflammation, cardiac disorders and ulcers in folk medicine since ancient times, according to the Journal of Functional Foods. 

And if the food-is-medicine approach appeals to you, don’t toss those radish leaves. They have even more nutritional value than the roots, including more antioxidants.

But let’s get back to the everyday basics. 

Once you take your radishes home, snip off those nutritious leafy tops and wrap them in damp paper towels in a container or half-closed bag. That’ll keep the red globes fresh, crisp, and juicy in your refrigerator for a week or two, because the greens draw the moisture from the root, causing them to crack and dry out. Eat the greens first because they’ll last only a couple days. Mushy radish roots are no good either.

Many people love to eat their crisp, red radishes raw, sliced thinly for salads, or cut into chunks for crudité platters. And have you ever tried a raw radish chunk dipped in cold butter and salt? Consider it.

People also roast radishes, pickle them, or toss them into sandwiches for a spicy crunch. They’re great for grain bowls, or even mixed with a creamy dressing and fresh herbs for a potato-like spring-summer salad.