Were you aware of how delicious radish greens are?

Perhaps you’re that person like me who had no idea that you could eat radish greens.

You may have also heard them called radish leaves which are the same.

If you are subscribed to Canadian Budget Binder, you would have read in the recent newsletter that we’re growing beets and radishes at the community garden.

It was Mrs. CBB who was inquisitive about the greens for both the beets and radishes.

I asked my Facebook community if they had used radish greens before, and it turns out they have.

Yes, I’ve been living under a rock. Ha!

What Are Radishes?

For most of us, they are spicy red round balls that you can eat raw, sautee, or even make a faux keto potato salad with.

I compared them to eating daikon radish but without the heat of red radishes.

According to Nourish Health, MD radishes are far more than I had ever believed.

Radishes are a group of root vegetables with light-colored, crunchy flesh, variable skin color, and an almost spicy, peppery taste.

They vary in shape from short and round to long and narrow, and the skin can be red, black, white, yellow, pink, or purple. 

Nourish MD – Radish Nutrition

I was amazed to read how many varieties and colours of radishes were available.

This is why I often include a bit of history on the products that I use in my recipes.

Don’t Throw Radish Greens Away

Our community garden plot is loaded with radish greens, massive radishes (see pics) and beets.

I tried to grow radishes back a few years in a wood box lined and filled with soil.

Unfortunately, the greens came up, but the radishes were white and tiny. Nothing more came of them.

I’m not sure if I had a bad packet of seeds, so I just mixed it all back into the compost.

I told Mrs. CBB that I wouldn’t bother growing radishes again.

Since the community garden we bought was last-minute, I thought I’d try again.

At the same time, I thought I’d grow beets since I love pickled beets.

I canned many jars of pickled beets last season but purchased bags at the grocery store.

It turned out both the beets and the radishes are on fire with the amount of rain and sunshine we’ve had this summer.

Radish Green Nutrients

According to Nutrionix.com, one cup of radish greens equals 3.7g net carbs and 3.7g protein.

7.9g radish greens – 4.2g fiber = 3.7 g net carbs

Total Carbohydrates 7.9g Dietary Fibre 4.2g grams Sugars 0.9g grams Protein 3.7g

Not only are radish greens high in fibre and protein you also get the benefits of low cholesterol and 39 calories per cup.

Ways To Use Radish Greens

Once I learned that the greens were edible, I had no idea how many dishes I could incorporate them in.

Below are many of my personal recipes that I could add the greens into by switching up the recipe.

For example, we made a creamy radish soup with added greens that turned out amazing.

I added sauteed the greens, adjusted seasoning, and blended it into my keto creamy radish soup.

It was so good I ate most of the pot of soup over the course of two days.

We also added the greens to a frittata one night and scrambled eggs another for dinner.

There’s something amazing about knowing that you can eat something you may have composted.

Related: How To Reduce Food Waste At Home

How To Make Sauteed Radish Greens

Preparing the greens is simple to do but should be done right after picking as they wilt quickly.

I filled a sink full of cold water, ran my hands through each leave, and pulled off the tender leaves and stems.

The leaves a bit of a rough texture when you run your fingers over them but disappear once prepared.

Just as I cleaned the cabbage leaves for the keto kimchi, I used the same process to remove dirt.

Once the leaves were cleaned, I put them into a colander to remove as much water as possible.

Ingredients

• 10-12 cups of washed tender radish leaves prepared as above
• 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 4 cloves garlic sliced or minced
• Extra Olive Oil to cover the bottom of the pan 1/3 cup (if you need more after add more)
• 1 tsp salt (add to your taste if you want more or less)
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions

In a large frying pan on dial 5, add the extra virgin olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes and fry for a minute.

Add the radish leaves to the pan even if you are building a mountain as they will reduce.

As the greens start to steam using a wooden spatula and move them around gently.

You can also cover the pan and let them reduce for 5 minutes stirring to incorporate the oil, garlic, salt.

Once reduced, add the lemon juice and work it into the leaves for a minute or two.

Taste the greens to see if you’d like more salt, lemon juice or red pepper flakes.

We used the measurements above, but your tastes may be different from ours.

That’s it. Easy, wasn’t it? Now I have some beet leaves to deal with and another recipe.

Discussion: What other recipes have you made with radish leaves? Comment below and let me know. Perhaps you prepare your beet leaves a different way; let me know below.

Mr.CBB