Today I learned the wonder of pulling a radish from the ground. It was not only my first day at the farm but also the first day of the summer harvest. We picked bok choy and broccoli rabe, lettuce and mizuna. But picking a radish is not like picking a leafy green. There is nothing like the surprise of pulling a radish root from the ground, each one extraordinarily different from the last.
At first I didn’t understand how each radish could look so different. I kept asking, "Should I throw this one away?" This one’s too white, I thought, this one’s too small. What I didn’t know was that radishes can be any shade, from pearly white to deep red to bright magenta, and any size from that of a quarter to that of a golf ball, and that this matters not in the least. Even though they look different, each one is just as good as the last. I think the world would be better if we could live like radishes, peaceful amongst such diverse neighbors.
I used to pick sliced radishes out of pre-made salads and toss them to the side of my plate. When they’ve already been picked and sliced for you, you only think to judge them on taste. Now when I see them in my salad, I will remember the surprise of pulling them from the ground and think of radishes in a new way- a little bitter, but mostly sweet.
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