Remarkable Radish! How to Make a Mighty Soup from 1 Mini Ingredient
JUMP TO RECIPE
Radishes are so wonderful. They are small and mighty. They are extremely low in calories, carbohydrates, fat and protein. They are high in heart-healthy calcium, potassium and natural nitrates. They are loaded with antioxidants and compounds to help stabilize blood sugar. They have Co-Q10 and compounds that help detoxify the liver and kidneys. So much to love! They were a perfect World War 2 victory garden item.
They are cruciferous vegetables so those with thyroid conditions may want to eat them in moderation. But with their renowned spicy, peppery taste that’s probably the only way most of us would eat them!
A Super Speedy Crop
Radishes thrive throughout most of the growing season and are ready for harvest in only four weeks! Just picked from the garden, they are delicious—milder than most store-bought radishes.
For several years we have grown the French Breakfast variety in our raised beds. A few years ago, I learned about an open-faced sandwich popular with French schoolchildren—radish slices on buttered bread with a bit of salt. It is actually very good! The butter (okay, how could anything go wrong with BUTTER in the first place?) tones down the spiciness of the radish and balances all the flavors.
Fitting into the Victory Garden
During World War 2, civilians were highly encouraged to make the most of their victory gardens. They did this in various ways—planting in rotation, planting both summer and winter crops, and by intercropping. That’s where small, quick-growing plants are sown close to longer-growing crops. Radishes fill the bill perfectly. They allowed people to have a nutritious and versatile vegetable in practically no time.
For those who don’t care for the taste of pepper or spice—radishes are in the same family as horseradish, after all—take heart. Cooking these little gems tones down those elements and brings out more of an earthy, sweet flavor. Because radishes can be sown and harvested early, when the weather might still have cool days, radishes are a natural for soup.
Radishes for Mighty Soup
The Remarkable Radish Soup that uses simple ingredients including some of the most famous from 1940s victory gardens—parsley, potatoes and leeks. The much-coveted onions were also popular and during wartime, would have been a special treat. It could be replaced by another leek. Home cooks might have used vegetable peelings and leftover bits to make homemade vegetable broth.
This soup is positively loaded with vitamins, minerals and other goodness. Just the kind of nourishing, mighty food folks would have needed during rationing when they needed extra energy for work. Eaten with some of the National Loaf whole-wheat bread, it would have been a complete-protein meal, too. Rah-rah Radish!
Remarkable Radish Soup
Ingredients
Instructions
- Remove green tops from radishes; wash and coarsely chop. Finely chop radishes; then, sprinkle with salt. Set aside both items.
- Sauté onion and leek in butter until soft but not browned. Add water or broth, potatoes, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes and leeks are completely soft. Be sure to add more water if needed to keep vegetables covered during cooking.
- Add radish greens and parsley. Simmer 5-10 minutes. Then, puree soup using a blender or immersion blender. Return soup to simmer. Lightly blot radishes; then, add to soup. Cook until radishes are tender. Add cream or evaporated milk to soup and heat but do not boil. Serve immediately.
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. John 15:13