Watermelon radishes (Lakeside Organic Gardens)
Watermelon radishes (Lakeside Organic Gardens)

This past week, my winter share of organic fruits and vegetables from Live Earth Farm surprised me. It doesn’t happen with every shipment, but when it does, I always learn something new.

Such was the case when I unsuspectingly sliced what I thought was a run-of-the-mill white radish in half for roasting and discovered the beautiful rose pattern inside. It was only then that I observed the outside of these radishes were a delicate gradient of mint green to ivory white.

These are special radishes. Known as “watermelon radishes” they slightly milder and sweeter than the radishes one finds at standard grocery stories. Although you would think such a stunning beauty would be “designer”, it is actually a heirloom variety of daikon radishes originating from China.

Last night I ended up roasting these radishes. The colors remained but the delicate patterns were ruined in the roasting process. A pity!

Next time, I will use my truffle shaver and shave “petals” of this on a salad. It would look gorgeous!

Loni Stark
Loni Stark is an artist at Atelier Stark, psychology researcher, and technologist whose work explores the intersection of identity, creativity, and technology. A self-professed foodie and adventure travel enthusiast, she collaborates on visual storytelling projects with Clinton Stark for Stark Insider. Her insights are shaped by her role at Adobe, influencing her explorations into the human-tech relationship. It's been said her laugh can still be heard from San Jose up to the Golden Gate Bridge—unless sushi, her culinary Kryptonite, has momentarily silenced her.