Oct. 22--Colorful murals at the Glenwood Sunday Market in Rogers Park serve as the backdrop for the equally colorful displays of produce from Dirt Doll and Wild Beet farms as well as the Midnight Sun Farm in Harvard.
That's where we found Nick Batchelder, who runs the farm with his wife Becky Stark. The couple grows a variety of radishes beyond the basic round red ones, including the lovely French breakfast radish, an heirloom that's oblong and red fading to white. It's traditionally eaten with salt, butter and toast. There are also round Champions, a watermelon radish that is white with a hint of green on the outside and pink on the inside as well as the long white daikon radish that delivers more pungency than the bite of the common round red radish.
Now don't let radishes sit idly on a relish tray. Give them a little work to do. Slice and toss them in salads or stir-fries. Or try one of these recipes from the Chicago Tribune's files:
A daikon and carrot pickle from Andrea Nguyen, author of "The Banh Mi Handbook." She says its works perfectly on the Vietnamese sandwich (no daikon, no worries: Nguyen notes that red radish or watermelon radish work well too). Or Mario Batali's daikon and tomato carpaccio. Or better yet, try Food and Dining Editor Joe Gray's recipe for a sandwich using the French breakfast radish.
French breakfast radish sandwich
Thinly slice lengthwise 3 or 4 French breakfast radishes (or regular radishes). Set aside. Working with 2 toasted slices of rustic bread and 2 ounces of softened cream cheese, spread cheese thickly on one side of one slice of bread. Layer radish slices on top, pushing into the cheese a bit to help them stay in the sandwich. Drain one sun-dried tomato in oil, cut in half, then slice one half into thin ribbons. Return other half to tomatoes in oil. Scatter tomato ribbons over radishes. Top with a small handful of arugula, then second bread slice.
Seasoning ending
As October draws to a close, remember that most outdoor markets will close as well. Many of them, however, move indoors starting in November, including Glenwood Sunday Market. After this weekend's Oct. 26 market, it will move into the Glenwood Bar, 6992 N. Glenwood Ave. for the Nov. 8 farmers market.
To check the schedule of your market's last days this season or to see whether it moves indoors, check out our listings of Chicago-area farmers markets.
