Raphanus sativus.

An old variety of Chinese origin, brought back to Europe by missionaries in the mid-19th century and listed in Western seed catalogs from the 1850s onward. It is one of the first Asian vegetables to settle permanently in European gardens — an era when Western cooking was just beginning to discover the culinary repertoire of the other end of the world. Oblong, cylindrical roots, 12-15 cm long and 5-7 cm in diameter, with dark-pink, almost cherry-red skin that contrasts beautifully against pure white, dense, crunchy flesh.

A pronounced but well-balanced flavour — sharper than a daikon, far less explosive than a wasabi radish, with a sweet undertone that tempers the bite. It's an autumn-and-winter radish, a long keeper: 2 to 3 months in the root cellar in lightly damp sand, without losing its firmness. Magnificent sliced into rounds in a salad for the colour contrast, julienned in a Chinese stir-fry with sesame oil, quick-pickled in rice vinegar and sugar as flash pickles, or simply snacked raw in sticks with a dip at the cocktail hour. The leaves, like those of all radishes, are also edible — sautéed or in a soup.

Grower's tip: Like the daikon and the other large-format radishes, it's an autumn cultivar par excellence. Spring-sown, it tends to bolt before forming a satisfactory root, under the influence of long days and summer heat. The ideal window in Québec: early August for a harvest from late September to mid-October. Soil deeply loosened (25-30 cm), free of stones or fresh manure that would make the root fork. Harvest before hard frosts, but after a few cool nights that concentrate the sugars and soften the bite.

• Open-pollinated. Annual to biennial depending on conditions. Insect-pollinated; crosses with other nearby radishes — isolate for seed saving.
• Height: 25-35 cm for the tops.
• Maturity: 50-60 days.
• Exposure: full sun.
• Loose, deep soil (25-30 cm), free of stones or fresh manure. Thin to 8-10 cm.
• Direct-sow early August in Québec for fall harvest. Spring sowing is possible but often disappointing — summer heat bolts the plant before the root forms fully. Tolerates light frosts well.