Tim Scallon/Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
Growing up on a farm provided many happy memories, but none as warm as those during the Christmas season. Shortly after Thanksgiving, we began asking Dad where we would get our tree this year. Cedars were plentiful on the farm and he kept an eye on those that would be good prospects for the coming celebration. Mom often told the story of how on Christmas Eve her dad would bring home the Christmas tree after work. But she liked to get the tree up early to have more time to enjoy the lights and build anticipation. I remember coming home from school during those weeks preceding the big event; and every day the number of wrapped gifts grew.
Memory takes me back to a particular overcast afternoon early in December (I was perhaps 14 years old), when Mom sent me out to bring in the Tanenbaum. Taking the ax (which I still have by the way), I walked the farm with a friend searching for the best tree out of those that Dad had previously pointed out. We carried our treasure home and set it up in the living room. The smell of fresh cedar filled the house.
Many are the fond memories of Christmas at home. The decorations, the carols, the tree adorned in lights, Santa’s impending arrival, and oh, the glorious food! As the day approached, food preparations began in earnest. On Christmas Eve, the aromas of roasting turkey and dressing blended with the fresh cedar to create a memory of home that lingers even to this day.
Mom, like most Americans of her generation, reserved radishes for salads. It never occurred to her to cook them. Rather than discarding the tops, they make an excellent (and highly nutritious) salad green or even a sub for lettuce on a sandwich. My recipe this month celebrates the rich flavor of roasted radishes enhanced with real butter. When roasted, their peppery flavor mellows and they take on a pleasant creaminess that pairs wonderfully with a lemon butter sauce.
Radishes are believed to have originally been domesticated in Southeast Asia, where they grow in the wild. They appear in the historical record in the third century BC. They were used by the Greeks and Romans for medicine.
This humble root veggie, both globe and top, is rich in antioxidants and other phenolic compounds that fight free radicals in the body, thus lowering our risk of cancer. Their high vitamin C content protects cells from damage.
Specific compounds in radishes trigger enzymes that help the liver remove harmful toxins. Minerals like calcium and potassium help control blood pressure, which lowers the risk of heart disease. Radishes are also a good source of natural nitrates, which help improve blood flow.
It occurred to me that radishes are a particularly appropriate Christmas vegetable. They are red with green tops and a white interior. The red reminds us of Santa’s suit; the green represents our Christmas Tree; and white, of course, is for the white Christmas of which we all dream. May your Christmas be full of joy and a fabulous feast shared with the dearest ones in your life.
Tim Scallon is a registered dietitian nutritionist with years of experience practicing nutrition therapy in local hospitals and clinics, teaching nutrition and developing healthy recipes.