Rat tail Radish.   You can see where it gets its name.  It’s a little harder to see the bright, crisp radish flavor with just a flash of heat at the end.  A delicious surprise in a salad or even just garnishing a good ol’ East Texas BBQ.

Rat-tail Radish, also known as Madras Radish,  is the special veggie of the week.   The rat-tail is an aerial radish – we eat the edible seed pod rather than the root of this unique plant.  Introduced to England from Java in 1815, it was discovered growing at the garden of the Prince of Wales in Sandringham, and became a favorite of the royal table.

There are several varieties of this unique veggie.  Ours is from a German variety called the Mũnchen Bier (it is enjoyed as a snack to serve with beer in Munich, they say.)  I’ve been enjoying grazing on it as I work in the garden, but I understand it might be pickled or added to stir-fry.    I’m not actually a radish lover, but this one makes me smile every time I eat it.

Come see us this weekend (it’s First Monday, you know!) at the great Athens, TX Farmer’s Market.   We’ll have some of the spicy fall greens – Mizuna and Mustard,  Arugula.  sweet Basil, peppermint, spearmint, and Poblano, Cayenne, Sweet and Bell peppers.

Try a sample of rat-tail radish and talk about the new changes coming for our CSA in the spring.   We’d like to make it more accessible to those who might be a little overwhelmed with our standard box or who might need more flexibility in the scheduling of their boxes.   Stay tuned for the details later this week.

Looking forward to seeing you this weekend!