the red meat radish, and a winner!

The last few weeks, we’ve had these radishes at the market. We cut them open and show people their tie dye centers, and there is oohing and ahhing, and then they have a taste of one, and there is a “oh, spicey!” and then another bunch is gone from the table, bouncing in a market basket as it walks it’s way across the parking lot. We also have been selling purple carrots, and scarlet turnips, and little burgundy cherry tomatoes and purple scallions. There is always the question of how this purple one is different from the normal colored one, and sometimes there is a clear answer and I can say, sweeter! or more tender! but other times, I just say, “Well, it’s lovelier, and that’s worth something right?”

This one is so much lovelier, I just wanted to cut one open for you too. I grabbed a bunch for myself as we were packing up the truck after the market. I chopped a few of them up tonight, and Rosie snuck her hand in and said, “Mom? I’m going to set this one up for you.”

She moved them all over the board, and as she worked, she kept a running commentary on the beauty of the red meat radish.
“It’s like a sunset. A burst-y sunset.”

Now Rosie has, in the past, been quite a radish hater. She’ll pull them up all day long with glee, but they are far too much of a vegetable for her to actually eat. I asked if she would like to try her very own sunset radish. She’s a smart one, and she went right for the salt.

“Radishes,” she said, “are much better with salt.” “Now it is not so spicy, and it is a sunset with little bugs on it. Good bugs.”

And there you have it.

Yes, the radish.
But there’s another thing, yes?
Today, in the car, I brought up the topic of the giveaway. We were out late eating carnitas last night with some lovely dinner compatriots and I didn’t get a chance to choose a winner. Joey said, “How could you ever have one winner, and let the rest go unsatisfied? With answers like that?”
He’s right.
So the plan has changed. It turns out that the winner is me. Because the array of food memories and longings that came in last week brought me so much happiness…I’m taking them all on. You might not get it in the mail (or maybe you will! we’ll see!), but you will get a post here on this very site as soon as I find what you’re looking for. So thank you, thank you! Let’s see what we can do…