Bordeaux Radish - A New Find Courtesy of Nevia No

This weekend at the farmers' market I discovered Bordeaux radishes, a new hybrid variety that has only recently been developed.

According to Nevia No, the farmer who was selling them, the radishes are, for the most part, only grown in Hawaii and Jeju Island in South Korea. Thus, availability is very limited; Asian markets would be the most likely to carry them.

The Bordeaux have a beautiful purple color, take about 2½ months to grow and should be harvested when they are about five or six inches long. They are a winter radish, similar to the green luobo radishes that No also grows.

When eaten raw, the Bordeaux radishes are quite spicy. However, cutting them and letting them sit in an acid (I used apple cider vinegar) for several minutes both tempers their heat and causes them to turn a vibrant pinkish-magenta color.

Like most common root vegetables (carrots, turnips, parsnips, celeriac, etc.), the greens of Bordeaux radishes are completely edible. I made an Asian-flavored side dish using the greens, cooking them with ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar and toasted sesame oil.