Radish Salad!

You could almost decorate your Christmas tree with these little beauties! I have grown more and more fond of radishes over the years. Maybe it's because they provide the same thrill as carrots or onions when you tug them out of the soil for harvest. Or maybe because they offer an early garden appetizer for what's to come.

The French like to have radish slices on buttered baguette (very good I might add). I'm a fan of eating them whole sprinkled with sea salt, or sliced and tossed with their tops and a simple celery dressing. . .

Radish Salad:

*8-10 radishes sliced thin

*1 cup radish greens/tops

*1 1/2 stalks celery plus the leafy greens

*1 garlic clove

*olive oil

*1 tsp umeboshi plum vinegar

Remove tops from radishes. Rinse well. Slice radishes thin and place in a mixing bowl. Mince one celery stalk and add to the bowl. In a blender or food processor, blend the remaining 1/2 celery stalk and it's leaves with the garlic clove, umeboshi vinegar and enough olive oil to create a smooth dressing.

Slice the radish greens thin and add to the bowl with about 3 Tbsp of the dressing. Toss. Season to taste. Serve immediately or refrigerate covered.

*Radish facts:

Radishes, Raphanus stivus, includes a greek discriptive for "quickly appearing".

These little globes are packed with vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B6, riboflavin, magnesium, copper, calcium, ascorbic acid, folic acid and potassium.

Radishes have been used in alternative medicine to treat whooping cough, gastric issues, gallstones, kidney stones, intestinal parasites and liver problems.

The wild radish contains 48% oil, although not good for eating, this oil may be considered for biofuel. Nice!