Email  Print

Radishes and Rattlesnakes

Coexisting with serpents while harvesting heirlooms (From the Spring 2011 issue of SONOMA)

If you're a Sonoma gardener, you know the first things to turn up in spring are radishes and rattlesnakes. I love radishes. Especially the heirloom varieties: the carrot-shaped French Breakfast, the pink and green hued Watermelon, the pastel-colored Easter Bunch. Love rattlesnakes? Not so much.

Not all radishes are red and round. Not all rattlesnakes coil before striking. As spring weather lures sowers and snakes alike to the warm outdoors, run-ins with the venomous Genus Crotalus are a sure thing.

Heirloom radishes are amazing little vegetables, so much lovelier than the round red kind typically found on your salad plate. Unlike supermarket hybrids, heirlooms are flavor-focused, not process driven. Their seeds, passed down through generations, preserve the characteristics of the parent plant from which they were harvested.

Rattlesnakes, attractors of bad press dating back to the first book of the Bible, are an important part of the natural food chain. I am (sort of) happy to co-exist with these slithering serpents in my Sonoma garden. A little precaution is all you need. Rattlesnakes are not aggressive and instinctually try to avoid conflict. Unless you completely surprise a snake by accidentally touching it, you will receive fair warning. The rattlesnake will almost always coil into a defensive posture if it cannot retreat. If it continues to feel threatened, it will warn you with the distinctive shake of its tail. The rattler's last defense is to strike.

If you do encounter a snake, leave it alone and let it crawl away. Many a gopher snake has met an untimely death at the hands of a shovel-wielding human because of their distinct ability to mimic the rattler. The gopher, with coloring and markings similar to the rattlesnake, can flatten its head and body, vibrate its tail and hiss exactly like its venomous brother. But alas, the gopher-your basic garden-variety snake-is friend not foe. Just leave it alone.

Rattlesnakes are not confined to rural areas and are actually more active when development is going on around them. When we built our house several years ago, that first summer we encountered more than 40 snakes. We met them in the stairwell, on the rock wall, along the steps, atop the woodpile, in the garden hose container, under Jack's toy trucks, at the front door, and in the kitchen pantry. We instituted the "rubber boot rule" (Cannot go outside without them, I don't care how hot it is!) and the nightly invocation to Saints Patrick, Dominic and Hilary. (Yes, my children will most likely need therapy.)

We also discovered a useful tool. Called "snake tongs" and used by professional snake handlers, this long-handled prong allows you to gently secure the snake in the "tong" and remove it to a designated large rubber trash can without harm. Once the snake is contained, a call to Animal Control will get the snake safely taken away. Preparation is said by some to be half the battle, and in the case of rattlers in the garden, it's true. Avoid an unfortunate brushup by wearing elbow-length pruning gloves when playing in the dirt. And remember that despite it's fearsome reputation, a rattlesnake's fangs are actually quite fragile, unable to penetrate canvas or leather.

Radishes grow best when the temperature ranges between 55 and 70 degrees. Snake eggs, as luck would have it, prefer hatching in precisely these climes, too. Remembering the aforementioned gloves, sow the radishes a couple of weeks before the final spring frost. Half an inch deep and an inch or so apart in rows spaced at 12 inches. Sprouting will occur in three to seven days and you'll have vegetables in about three weeks. Harvest the radishes, remove the leaves and quickly drop them in cold water. Enjoy them as the French do by dipping them in various salts, or elevate them to the next level with these delicious recipes.

• It's customary in France to eat freshly picked radishes with salt and sweet butter. The creamy butter tames the bite of the peppery radish while the salt enhances its flavor. Compounding the butter with anchovy takes the tradition up a step.
   

•  Best-quality sweet European-style butter elevates this simple yet singularly delicious dish. You'll think you're dining in the south of Provence. A coupe of champagne is the perfect accompaniment.
   

• You'll find mache, also known as lamb's lettuce, growing wild in abundance in Sonoma. The tender leaves and crunchy radishes make for a memorable salad dressed with a spicy mustard vinaigrette. My favorite coarse-grain mustard is the incomparable Mustard Pommery. You'll want to "under-dress" the salad for maximum flavor.

 

 

SERVES 8
6 ounces unsalted best-quality butter, softened
1 clove garlic, minced
1.5 tablespoons anchovy paste
1 squeeze of half a lemon
salt, to taste
2 bunches radishes, cleaned and trimmed

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the butter, garlic, anchovy paste, and lemon juice. Season with salt, to taste. Transfer the butter mixture to a ramekin and serve with the radishes.
Best-quality sweet European-style butter elevates this simple yet singularly delicious dish. You'll think you're dining in the south of Provence. A coupe of champagne is the perfect accompaniment.

 

 

SERVES 4
4 tablespoons best-quality sweet butter, softened
1 narrow baguette, thinly sliced on the diagonal
8 radishes, very thinly sliced
salt, to taste
1 bunch fresh watercress leaves

Spread the butter evenly over several bread slices. Evenly divide the sliced radishes over the bread slices and sprinkle salt over all. Top with the watercress.

You'll find mache, also known as lamb's lettuce, growing wild in abundance in Sonoma. The tender leaves and crunchy radishes make for a memorable salad dressed with a spicy mustard vinaigrette. My favorite coarse-grain mustard is the incomparable Mustard Pommery. You'll want to "under-dress" the salad for maximum flavor.

 

 

SERVES 4
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon coarse-grain mustard
1/4 cup white-wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black
pepper, to taste
16 ounces fresh mache, cleaned
6 radishes, cleaned and thinly sliced

In a small bowl, whisk together the shallot, mustard, vinegar, and sugar. Add the oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

To serve, toss the mache and radishes with just enough vinaigrette to lightly coat. Re-season with salt and pepper.
 

 

 

From the Spring 2011 issue of SONOMA