Radish greens: have you tried them?

I had never heard of eating radish greens until a couple years ago, when a friend of my from Alleycat Acres pulled a radish from the ground, brushed the soil off the root, and popped the whole thing in her mouth. I had never seen anything like it. I tried it and I liked the greens a lot!

Since then I've learned more about radish greens, and in particular I have learned that I only really like them when they are very young and tender. When very young they taste sweet and peppery, as opposed to when they get older and the leaves turn tough a prickly. Ouch.

I love radishes partly because their arrival marks the beginning of spring.

I like to plant an assortment of radish varieties. I get assorted seed packets called "Easter Egg".
That way there is a range of colors, sizes, and flavors in the radish patch.
They also mature at slightly different times, which means we don't get a huge flux all at one. 

Don't they look like sweet little jewels?

Last weekend we thinned the radish seedlings at Alleycat Acres' Beacon Hill site, and rather than tossing the thinnings in the compost pile, I took them home to eat.
Besides eating them raw with the baby root still attached, I also sautéed them with some garlic and olive oil (similar to how I often prepare spinach, chard, or kale), and I tossed them in a green salad.

Dressed salads do not photograph well, so I apologize for the horrible photo, but I thought this salad was really delicious. It was simply a salad of baby radishes with their greens still attached, arugula, romaine, shaved raw asparagus, and dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, and flaky sea salt. So simple and delicious.

Radishes and their greens wilted with lemon juice and
added to a salad with arugula and shaved asparagus

Here are some links to other radish green recipes that sound interesting:

Spicy stir-fried radish greens
Roasted radishes with brown butter, lemon, and radish tops
Radish greens cheese spread or it can be a butter spread.

Hope you guys are as excited about spring gardening as I am!

p.s. Come garden with us at Alleycat Acres! We have a ton of fun, and are always looking for more volunteers. I'll be gardening at the Beacon Hill site every Tuesday evening at 6pm starting May 1st, through the fall. 3656 24th Ave. S, Seattle, WA.