I grew some Daikon in one of my gardens a decade ago, they were not so impressive since the ground was hard and rocky. One of these days I will try them again. Maybe next spring.
I spent 5 years in Japan and got to taste them prepared in dozens upon dozens of ways. They are not an exotic vegetable there, but here in the USA, they would be.
I happened across this audio piece on NPR this morning:
Daikon: Unearthing the Radish with Soul (3 min clip)
This was on Science Friday at The Talk of the Nation on NPR
Sizing Up Sustainable Food (includes a link to the 35 minute radio program)
These days some shoppers are looking at more than the price of their groceries; they’re also considering “food miles” – how far the grapes or pork chops traveled to get to the store. But some experts say eating food grown locally isn’t necessarily the best way to go green at the grocery store.
Guests:
James McWilliams, author, Just Food: Where Locavores Get It Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly, associate professor of history, Texas State University, Austin, Texas
Michael Pollan, author, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, professor of journalism, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, Calif.
Brian Halweil, senior researcher, World Watch Institute, Sag Harbor, N.Y.
While listening to Morning Edition this morning on NPR this morning, I heard this story:
Not All Communities Welcome Urban Gardening
It was a good listen.
Hope your gardening is welcomed in your home town!
I heard this story on NPR this morning:
Rocky Ford Cantaloupes:As Sweet As Can Be
Quick Facts:
What’s the difference between a cantaloupe and a muskmelon?
Generally the names cantaloupe and muskmelon are both used to describe this fruit with soft orange flesh. But the fruit with the webbed rind you probably call a cantaloupe is actually a muskmelon. True cantaloupes, a deeply grooved fruit with smooth skin, are rarely grown commercially in the U.S.
Still, in Rocky Ford, Colo., as in most parts of the country, they’re called cantaloupes.
How can I tell a ripe melon?
The melon should smell sweet, an orange color should be visible in-between the netting on the rind and the skin should yield to mild pressure.
Avoid buying melons that are still green (they’re not quite ripe) and those with part of the stem still attached — that means it was picked too early.
How long will it stay fresh?
Up to two weeks in the refrigerator