What should you do to make radishes stay fresh?
Radish is a root vegetable that can complement any salad or protein well, as long as you use any proven preparation or storage method.
How to store radishes? You can store fresh radishes at room temperature for a few days, but you could also keep them in the fridge for a longer shelf life. If you want radishes to stay in their crisp state for even longer periods, consider storing them in a cool, dark, and damp place, such as a cellar or basement.
In this article, we have outlined several radish storage methods for your convenience.
What can I do with lots of radishes?
There are so many ways you can incorporate radish into a meal or a snack.
You can pickle radishes or make thin slices of it with some salad greens to make a great appetizer.
For your entrée, you can create great sides for any protein by grilling, sautéing, or roasting some radish.
With so many preparation options to choose from, you’ll be ecstatic to know that the consumption of radish comes with health benefits.
Radish can stimulate digestion and prevent several stomach and intestinal disorders.
It can also help lessen liver and bile duct problems by promoting bile flow.
To maximize all of the culinary uses and health benefits of a whole bunch of radishes, you should consider learning how to store them first.
Different Ways on How to Store Radishes
There are several ways to keep radish fresh.
As you may not be using lots of radishes all at the same time, you may want to divide your radish bunch and store each division differently.
It is also practical to wash them after cutting off the roots and leaves before storing them in water.
Choose from the following storage options for the one that best suits your predicted time of use.
Glass With Water
A glass with water can hold a few radishes for storage on your kitchen counter.
This storage method is also called hydro-cooling.
The water should be at least one or two inches high, enough to soak part of the radish bulbs but far from touching the stems and leaves.
Doing this method will help keep the radish crisp for at least three days.
Plastic Container
If you have more radishes than can fit the bottom of a glass, opt for a large bowl or any plastic container and do the same hydro-cooling procedure.
Be sure that the water only touches the radish bulbs and not the radish greens. This will prevent the vegetables from rotting.
Leave the container at room temperature and check for wilting and rotting regularly.
Fridge
To increase shelf life, store your radishes in the fridge.
You can use the same uncovered plastic container or glass with water to hold your whole radishes in the fridge.
As always, check for rot frequently and change the water at least every two days.
This “bouquet method” will add at least five more days before the radish greens start to wilt.
Other methods for storing in the fridge include using a sealable plastic bag and a canning jar.
Sealable Plastic Bag
Storing radishes in the fridge in a sealable plastic bag can keep them crisp for at least two weeks, but you have to do it properly.
First, cut off the roots and leaves, and immediately use the radish greens. You have to do this because they won’t last long after cutting.
Wash the radishes in cold water. You can use a vegetable cleaning brush to remove all the soil and dirt.
Line the interior of a sealable plastic bag with damp paper towels, and put some radish bulbs in a single layer.
Add more sheets of damp paper towels to hold additional layers.
Finally, remove excess air using a straw before sealing, and store the bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge.
This sealable plastic bag method can be quite tedious if you plan to use your radish bulbs regularly.
Canning Jar
Consider a canning jar for easy access anytime, but expect your radishes to stay crisp only for up to 10 days.
For this method, do the same procedure of trimming the roots and leaves from your radishes.
Wash the radishes thoroughly before putting them in the canning jar.
Fill the jar with water enough to submerge all the radish bulbs.
If you wish to use a canning jar, but you want a more extended storage option, consider making pickled radishes.
Storage Box
If you have a cellar or a basement, radishes can stay crisp even longer if you store them there correctly.
Radish will like to stay in a cool and dark place, just like it was still underground.
Get any storage box and fill it with a thin layer of damp sand or dirt.
Line the dirt with your radish bulbs and cover them with more damp soil.
You can also do this in layers as long as you ensure that dirt separates each of the radish bulbs to prevent the spread of rot.
This method can keep the radishes fresh for at least three months.
Freezer
Before storing in the freezer, go through the same process of trimming the roots and leaves and thoroughly washing the bulbs.
In addition to this, blanch the radish bulbs in boiling water for at least three minutes.
After blanching, dip the bulbs in cold water to stop the cooking process.
Drain the radish bulbs and transfer them into a sealable plastic bag or airtight container before storing them in the freezer.
Can you freeze fresh radishes?
The freezer is not the best storage option for fresh radish.
Any fruit or vegetable with high water content can become mushy if you thaw it after freezing.
Radishes can be frozen, but don’t expect them to have the same quality as when you bought or harvested them.
Consider the above-indicated method of storing in the freezer.
How long can you leave radishes in the ground?
If you are growing radishes, it is also helpful to know when to harvest your crops or how long they can stay in the ground.
Spring- or summer-planted radish will mature as early as 20 days and as late as 40 days.
Winter radishes, on the other hand, take 50 or 60 days to mature.
It is not advisable to leave radishes in the ground long after their maturity because their condition will deteriorate rapidly.
You can check the soil surface for the diameter of the exposed portion of the radish bulbs.
If you see that it measures at least an inch in diameter, they should be ready to harvest.
You can also pull one radish bulb out of the ground to test for quality.
Conclusion
With all of these storage options in mind, you can easily complement all of your dishes with radish in so many ways.
You can now have access to this root vegetable any time of year as you get to practice different storage preferences.
Remember, each of the methods has its own merits when it comes to making radish stay fresh.
Related Articles: