Raphanus sativus.
One of the great classics of the 19th-century French garden, listed in Vilmorin catalogues since 1879 and still present, nearly one hundred and fifty years later, on the terraces of Parisian bistros. The name evokes a quintessentially French culinary tradition — radis au beurre, that small miracle of simplicity where the fresh root is dipped at one end in cold half-salted butter and crunched alongside a slice of bread or a black coffee at the morning counter. A snack so elegant in its sobriety that it became a symbol of French peasant cooking raised to the rank of art.
Oblong, cylindrical roots 5 to 7 cm long, with the characteristic two-tone livery — brilliant pink-red on the upper two-thirds, immaculate white on the lower third — a natural gradient that gives it all its elegance on the plate when served whole with a bit of green top. White, crunchy, juicy flesh, fresh in flavour and delicately peppery, much milder than that of the classic round red radishes. Ideal whole with a sprinkle of salt, sliced thin into rounds on a salad or a sandwich, quick-pickled in rice vinegar as a flash pickle, fanned out on a toast of fresh goat cheese and honey, or simply presented with a round of half-salted butter and a pinch of fleur de sel, the way it's been done forever in France.
Grower's tip: It's a fast crop (25 to 30 days) that loves the cool of spring and fall. Direct-sow in place as soon as the soil can be worked (April in Québec), in successive rows every 7-10 days to stretch the harvest from May to July. For gardeners who want it all summer: skip the July-August sowings (heat makes it bolt and toughens the roots) and resume late August for the fall harvest. Loose, stone-free, moderately rich soil — too much nitrogen gives plenty of leaves and disappointing roots. Regular watering without jolts: water stress during growth hollows the root and develops an unpleasant bitterness. Harvest as soon as the roots reach their size — an over-mature radish turns hollow and pithy in a few days.
- Open-pollinated. Annual to biennial depending on conditions. Insect-pollinated; crosses with other radishes nearby — isolate for seed saving.
- Top height: 15 to 20 cm.
- Maturity: 25 to 30 days.
- Exposure: full sun; part shade accepted in summer.
- Loose, stone-free, moderately rich soil. Thin to 3-5 cm.
- Direct-sow as soon as the soil can be worked (April in Québec), in successive rows every 7-10 days through late June, then a new wave from mid-August for the fall harvest.
