Why are many (if not most) red radishes sold in grocery stores with the leaves still attached? I’m sure someone uses them but I’ve never seen it or heard of it. Are they good for anything in particular? The leaves are the first thing to rot (and make the radishes look disgusting) so why aren’t they all just removed before being sent out for sale? The tops of celery are cut off and most carrot tops are cut off. What gives?
Many are, you can usually find one pound bags of radishes for about a dollar. The leaves are left on pretty much for looks, just like with kohlarabi, beets, carrots etc…
well, without the stems/leaves, how could your friendly neighborhood grocer bunch them together with a rubber band? Cutting them down to the bare essentials requires extra manpower and unnecessary packaging.
They are availavle trimmed here (the leaves and most of the root cut off, but not all the way down - no white flesh is exposed and they still need a further trim) - typically, the supermarkets will sell mostly trimmed and the greengrocers and market stalls will sell mostly bunched.
Although the bunched radishes Look nicer, I find they don’t last as long - I think this is because moisture is still being lost through the leaves and the root turns limp and rubbery. I suppose, though, that this might be a good thing - a bunch of firm radishes in the shop is probably a good deal fresher than a bag of trimmed ones.
I saw a cooking show on PBS a few weeks ago where the (Italian?) cook was making some sort of stuffed veal thing, and potatoes, and radishes… which she left the tops on. You were evidently supposed to eat them too. I’ve never, ever seen that anywhere else, and neither had my mother. I mean, I have no idea what they taste like, probably like any dark green leafy thing, but I’ve never had them or seen them on a menu or anything.
I’ve eaten radish tops, but they have to be very fresh and very young; older leaves are prickly. They have a pungent, peppery taste, a bit like cress or rocket.