Gingery Quick Pickled Daikon Radish and Carrot

This spring, thanks to Front Porch forum, I hooked up with a local lady who was giving away a bunch of seeds.  One of the packets she had extras of was Daikon Radish.  I had heard of these radishes before but never tried growing them or eating them.

I ended up planting some of these late in the season when I read that radishes were amazing for the garden.  I don't like radishes, never have, but I thought I'd give them another try when I read how beneficial they are to a garden.  I didn't have any red varieties but I had the Daikon so I decided to throw a few seeds in the ground to act as the perimeter around some lettuce.

A few months later, actually it was late October, I decided to clean out most of the garden.  When I pulled these radishes out I was blown away at how big they were!  I had to break one of them in half because I wasn't able to pull it out myself.  It was probably 6 inches wide and almost 2 feet long.  Crazy.

This is the huge one I pulled out in 2 pieces.  There's probably still a little bit left in the ground!

Then I left all the radishes just sitting in my picking bucket for a while, just like any good gardener and canner would do.

This weekend I pulled the last of my carrots except those few I left in the ground for next spring.  While leafing through my favorite canning book I came across a recipe called Gingery Quick Pickled Daikon and Carrot.  The recipe was fairly simple and something I could pull off quickly and easily- hence the name!  I figured the radish would still be usable as it had been outside and it is sort of a root crop, right?

All the daikon I pulled from the garden

Today at lunch I prepared the carrots and daikon, put 1 tablespoon of salt onto them, and let them sit in ice water for the afternoon.  I pretty much just cut up 2 carrots and probably one piece of an 8" daikon.  When I got home I made up the brine so it had time to cool down before I was ready to cover the veggies.  It was a very easy process and I'm hoping they turn out good.  It's a good test to find out if I should grow Daikons again next year.  Stay tuned to the taste test!  My favorite thing about this recipe was it made just one pint and there was no canning involved.

Recipe from the Pickled Pantry by Andrea Chesman (my favorite canning book)

 

Ginger Quick Pickled Daikon and Carrot

Makes 1 quart

Ingredients
I pound daikon (about 16 inches in length), peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 tablespoon pickling or fine sea salt
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
3 thin slices peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved

Instructions
1. Combine the daikon, carrot, and salt in a bowl and mix well.  Cover with ice water and let sit for at least 2 hours, or up to 6 hours.
2. Combine the white vinegar, water ,sugar, ginger, and garlic in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Remove fro the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
3. Drain the vegetables and pack into a clean 1-quart canning jar.  Pour the cooled vinegar mixture into the jar to cover the vegetables.  Refrigerate for at least 12 hours, and preferably 1 day.  The pickles will keep for several weeks.