An Abundance of Radishes: Radish & Apple Salad

"But she still had that something which fires the imagination, could still stop one's breath for a moment by a look or gesture that somehow revealed the meaning in common things. She had only to stand in the orchard, to put her hand on a little crab tree and look up at the apples, to make you feel the goodness of planting and tending and harvesting at last. All the strong things of her heart came out in her body, that had been so tireless in serving generous emotions. It was no wonder that her sons stood tall and straight. She was a rich mine of life, like the founders of early races." ~~My Antonia by Willa Cather

Feeling "the goodness of planting and tending and harvesting" is a feeling I truly enjoy, not just because growing vegetables and flowers brings me a sense of peace, but also because the tending of these plants brings me memories of both my Great-Grandma Rosie and my Grandpa Mike.  I have spoken of Rosie's garden in a past post, so I will "tend" to the garden of my Grandpa Mike in this post.

Grandpa fought in the Pacific during World War II, worked in the coal mines in Southern Illinois as well as for Illinois Power Company, called Grandma his "German Potato," raised two kids, loved fishing, and had a great garden. Grandpa was a man of few words, so when he said something, you knew it was important to listen at that moment...especially if you got the giggles during Mass, and my cousin and I often did. He had a knack for butchering the pronunciation of several words. The patio was pronounced "pay-she-0" and nectarine was pronounced "nick-a-treen". Looking back, most of us believe he did this on purpose to make all of the grandkids laugh.

Grandpa Mike getting ready to go fishing.

I used to spend every summer at my Grandparents' house because my parents both worked full-time. It was a great way to spend the summer--out of the city, into the country, and hearing all about the past from Grandma and Grandpa. Grandpa had a garden, not quite as large as his mother's (Great-Grandma Rosie) had been, but still impressive. His garden was his baby, and I don't remember him skipping a single day spending time out in it planting and tending. If you were to walk into his garden, you would not find a single weed, and the ground between the rows was always neatly cultivated. I don't recall Grandpa using any chemicals on his garden to keep pests away, but there were aluminum foil pie pans hung on poles around the garden to keep the birds and rabbits away. I truly think his continual presence in the garden was all the pest control he needed.

I can still see the small tomato plants, each with a coffee can (both the bottom and top removed) over it in order to protect the plant until each became big enough to stake. Grandpa made sure Grandma saved every empty coffee can for a myriad of uses. If you went into his garage, you would see all of his nails and screws kept in coffee cans as well. Not only were there coffee cans over the plants, each plant was surrounded by used coffee grounds from Grandma's coffee pot. "It makes them grow, Amy," I can still hear him say.

I think, though, Grandpa was most proud of his lettuce, radishes, and onions. I distinctly remember him telling me that Buttercrunch lettuce was the only lettuce worth growing, and he always had a bumper crop. Every day Grandpa Mike would harvest a bowl full of lettuce, radishes and green onions, and he would bring them to Grandma to make me a salad. Grandma would sprinkle the salad with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. It didn't need any fancy toppings or heavy dressings. The light dressing allowed the fresh flavors of the home grown vegetable to come through. I ate this salad every single day in the summer, sometimes more than once a day.  If I wanted a snack, Grandpa would say, "I'll go pick you a salad," and he would do exactly that. 

At times I would be out in the garden with him and he would pick a radish, dust it off, and hand it to me to eat right on the spot, saying, "A little dirt from the garden won't hurt you." He would do the same thing with ripe tomatoes, and he was right. The dirt didn't hurt, and those vegetables were the best tasting vegetables I have ever had. Even the vegetables I now grow in my own garden--although lovely and fresh--still don't seem to taste like Grandpa's vegetables. Perhaps it's just nostalgia that makes me feel this way, or perhaps he did something to his garden that I don't know about. But more than likely they taste the best because they were grown by him with love, and I miss him every day.

Radish and Apple Salad

I love radishes, and I seem to have luck with them in my garden. In fact, by the end of May, I already had a bumper crop. I love eating them whole or sliced on a salad, but I always felt like there had to be something else you could do with them.  I found a recipe for a radish salad from Rachel Ray, and I adapted it to suit my family. It's fresh and tart, two flavor combinations I thoroughly enjoy.

For this recipe you will need: 8 to 9 radishes, thinly sliced; 1 cucumber, thinly sliced; 1 1/2 medium Granny Smith apples, quarter, cored, and thinly sliced; 1/2 cup sour cream; juice from 1/2 lemon; 1 1/2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley; 6 to 8 fresh spearmint leaves, chiffonade; salt and pepper to taste. Chiffonade is a slicing technique in which herbs are cut into ribbons. The technique is easy, and you can see a quick example here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiffonade

First, prep the radishes, cucumber, and apples. I used an English cucumber this time, but a regular cucumber works just as well. Although, I recommend using a smaller cucumber to better match the size of the radish and apple slices.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the sour cream, sugar, lemon juice, and white balsamic vinegar.

Stir in the radishes, cucumbers, and apples. Make sure they are coated well. 

Add the parsley, mint, and salt and pepper. Stir again. 

The salad can be plated alone or on a bed of greens. I served this batch on a bed of fresh Buttercrunch lettuce leaves from my garden. 

You can adjust the seasoning to your own personal taste. If you don't want the salad to be as tart, add another teaspoon of sugar. I have also made the recipe with all white balsamic vinegar or all lemon juice. Both work just fine, but I prefer a mixture of the two.

Enjoy!