Raphanus sativus.

A yellow radish, and that's rarer than you'd think. Almost every radish in the world is red, pink, white, black or purple; yellow is a curiosity that survived only in a few Central European market-gardening traditions. The name says so plainly: zlata means “golden” in the Slavic languages. It's a variety passed from garden to garden in Czechia and Poland, which arrived late in North American catalogues and is still rarely offered.

Round roots with slightly matte golden yellow skin, almost beige in the sun, and white, crunchy, juicy flesh. The foliage is lightly downy, another distinctive trait of the line. The flavour is mild, frankly less aggressive than a classic red radish, with a light heat and an almost nutty finish. It's a radish that converts people who don't like radishes. Superb in a multicoloured crudité platter beside a red Cherry Belle and a purple Purple Plum, in quick pickles where it keeps its colour, sliced onto fresh cheese on bread, or roasted in quarters in the oven with a drizzle of olive oil — a little-known preparation that completely softens the radish and makes it almost sweet.

Grower's tip: at 25-30 days it's probably the fastest thing you can sow. That makes it an excellent row marker: sown at the same time as carrots, which take three weeks to emerge, the radish comes up in five days and draws the line, which lets you hoe between rows long before you see a single carrot. You harvest the radishes just as the carrots need the space. For the rest, the two usual rules: no excess nitrogen, which gives leaves and no roots, and no sowing in the full heat of July, where it bolts and turns burning hot.

• Open-pollinated. Central European heirloom variety. Annual, insect-pollinated; crosses with other nearby radishes.
• Matures in ~25-30 days.
• Exposure: full sun, part shade accepted in summer.
• Loose, stone-free, moderately rich soil. Avoid excess nitrogen. Thin to 5 cm.
• Direct-sow as soon as the soil can be worked, in successive rows every 10 days. An excellent row marker for slow sowings (carrots, parsnips).
• Start again in mid-August for a fall harvest.