Radish greens! Credit: Hannah Palmer Egan

Radishes are a book-end vegetable, one of the first freshies of spring, and one of the last veggies standing come fall.  I love the crunchy little roots served fresh or in salad, and they’re fab on the grill or sautéed. And don’t get me started on the greens, which make a fine pesto base or spinach substitute. 

I planted some in mid-April (remember how it snowed  just a few weeks ago?), and expected to harvest them this week and next. But following several 80-degree days and Sunday’s rain, they bolted yesterday afternoon. I saved a few, but mostly I got a sink full of greens, since the plants had converted their bulbous roots into flower stalks in a single day.

This morning, I took a bunch of those greens and cooked them into a fluffy, frothy frittata with fresh herbs,  asparagus from 4 Corners Farm and a handful of cow’s milk “feta” from Neighborly Farms, over in Randolph. 

And life was grand…

Radish Greens Frittata
Serves two

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 4-5 stalks asparagus, cut to 2-inch pieces
  • Greens of 5-10 radishes, loosely chopped
  • Juice of 1/3 of a lemon
  • 4 eggs
  • Crumbled feta cheese
  • Fresh parsley, thyme and chives
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

  1. Heat a fat pat of butter in a skillet over medium flame. Add garlic and asparagus and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 minutes. 
  2. Meanwhile, beat eggs, with a generous splash of water and a pinch of salt and pepper, until soft peaks form. 
  3. Add the radish greens to the pan and allow to cook down 3-5 minutes, until some of the liquid boils away. 
  4. Pour eggs over the greens and reduce heat slightly. Top with feta crumbles and fresh herbs, then cover and cook for another 3-5 minutes until the eggs no longer jiggle when you shake the pan. Serve with buttered toast!

Hannah Palmer Egan was a Seven Days food writer from 2014-2019. She was a 2017 James Beard Journalism Award finalist for her coverage of Vermont's food and agriculture industries, and received food writing awards from the Association of Alternative Newsmedia. She lives in northeast Pennsylvania with her family, where she works in the outdoor lifestyle and adventure tourism industry.