My First In-Ground Product!!

Of the many things I've planted thus far in my garden, this is the first one I grew from a seed in the ground. Other plants I had purchased at the start of my gardening adventure (basil, bell peppers, dill, green onion, habaneros, jalapenos, lettuce & tomatoes) were already mature enough to transplant into the dirt! So the story goes... About 3 months ago, another garden member put on a contest providing everyone with mystery seeds (put in our mailboxes) with instructions to grow them in our garden plots. After two months, whoever was able to identify the most number of plants would win a prize! At first I was a little hesitant to put unknown seeds in my garden... But after thinking about it a bit, I thought it might be a fun thing to try out! As result this was the only seed that germinated and lasted. When it started growing out of ground I immediately assumed it was a beet, because the leaves looked very similar to the red beets another friend was growing in her plot! After doing some research online and comparing leaves of other plants I discovered it was DAIKON! After pulling it out of the ground, I was amazed at how huge it was!

It was a fun experience after all... and the best part is my friends & I found a great recipe online for it! So we plan to shred it up, mix it with some sweet potato, garlic and green onion to make some pan-fried patties this weekend! Really looking forward to trying my first in-ground product!

WHAT IS DAIKON?
Daikon (Raphanus sativus longipinnatus) is a mild white radish shaped like a large carrot. The name “daikon” comes from the Japanese words dai, meaning “big” and kon, meaning “root”. Growing to a length of 8 to 14 inches (20 to 35 cm) and a width of 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm), it certainly lives up to its name. Variant varieties may be cylindrical or even spherical. Almost all types are white, though some are shades of yellow, green, pink, or black.