Check out what's actually at the farmer's market, smelling like an actual tomato:

Lately we've had some serious bounty from both the farmer's market and CSA. I don't think I really realized exactly how much vegetable content the CSA would get us, even considering the chorus of warnings. So much! I'm going to have to start blanching and freezing the chard, I think. Or, you know, COOKING more as opposed to just eating the salad greens and asparagus. Also berries. You know what's the best salad ever? Blueberries and baby arugula. Oh man!

One of the bits and pieces from our box this week was a bunch of radishes. I like radishes a lot, actually: super vegetable crunch and spice content is great for egg salad, or salatka (cottage cheese, sour cream, radish slices, and salt and pepper, mixed and spread on good toasted rye: SO AWESOME): thick and creamy food that needs some snap to cut it. I also like more ordinary thin slices on sandwiches and in salads. However, all of these only require about one radish, or even a half, for a full serving. How do you get through ten radishes?

You quarter them and roast them, like potatoes.

Results: the sugar in the radishes caramelizes, softening their punch and making them much easier to eat out of hand. While they retain some crunch, it's not anywhere near as aggressive. They really look like little roast potatoes! At some point I'm going to have to try a potato salad with a mix of roasted root veg; I bet that would be awesome.

Roast radishes

radishes
olive oil
salt, pepper

Preheat the oven (or toaster oven! It's summer) to 375 or 400F. Trim radishes; cut them into halves or quarters. Toss with a little olive oil and some salt and pepper. Spread your radishes in one layer on a baking sheet and put it in the oven. They will hiss madly as they begin to lose moisture.

Roast for maybe twenty minutes, or until your radishes have stopped hissing and are starting to turn very slightly golden.

That's it. You're done! Eat them!

I had mine plain, with the tomato. Oh yes, first tomato of the summer, you will be mine. Actually, you were mine already. Um. Yeah.