[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

M.M. I have been chopping up onion and garlic scapes and using them in my raman noodle soups or chinese dishes. (Along with small turnips and green onions!)

Did you know that some Koreans dry radish leaves for later use? I was shopping in the local oriental grocery and saw a package of dried radish leaves!

"Dried radish stems, also known as siraegi, are a traditional Korean ingredient used to add flavor to various dishes. They are typically made by drying radish leaves and stems in the fall, allowing them to be enjoyed during the colder months when fresh radish greens are scarce.

Preparation

To prepare dried radish stems, simply soak them in water or broth to rehydrate them. They can be used in a variety of dishes, including soups, stews, and stir-fries. They can also be used to add flavor to rice, noodles, and other grains."

I imagine it was once done as a necessity to avoid starvation but is practiced now frugal cultural cookery.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Spring grown rutabagas (Navone Yellow Baker Creek, 95 days.) I picked them 3 days ago because we are beginning to get warm and the cabbage loopers are becoming very active. I will probably plant more in late August for November harvest. I have a bed with 3 other varieties, Helenor, Laurentian, and American Purple top that I will start harvesting them later this week for the same reasons and even though they are not as large as they could be. I will probably replant the bed with a "grid" planting of Seeds and Such Bush bean variety Contender, 45 days from germination.

A Rutabaga "little brother , Baker Creek Tokinashi turnip, 46 days . Uniform, fast growing, and sweet. I began harvesting earlier plantings of this variety at the beginning of April.

Small growing tomato, Annannas Noire. (Baker Creek, 80 days, 3'-5')

[metmom]

Considering how fast radishes grow, getting dried radish leaves sounds very feasible.

I would imagine you are correct that much of what people use for seasoning was because of not being able to waste ANYTHING if you were going to survive the winter.

[Pollard]

I just recently learned that radish greens are edible. I was growing Wasabi Radish but it started taking up too much space without bulbs forming. The leaves were approaching 10” tall and 10” spread. It’s not your typical 25 day radish but a full 60 days.

Decided to see if the greens could be used and did eat some and gave some away. I also threw some in the compost pile. Had I known they can be dried and used later, I would have because as the Wasabi name suggests, they have some kick and that kick probably would have carried through drying and re-hydrating. Might even get more pungent.

I still have some seeds so I’ll be growing them again this Fall/Winter in the tunnel. I’ll have room in there to let them go the full 60 days and I imagine they can handle a leaf here and there being picked. It’s like the wasabi arugula I’m growing, not much required to add a little heat to something.