I am interested in the progression of flavor vs. size with both arugula and daikon radish. Each of these crops can be harvested throughout different parts of their life-cycle, often the harvest is dependent on what the intended use will be for the crop. If a consumer is planning to put some strips of shaved daikon on a couple of salads for a family dinner, a 45 lb daikon is veritably overkill, but if making a large batches of fermented pickles, a 45 lb daikon may be the perfect size.

The same goes for arugula, some farmers like to harvest arugula when it is young and quite tender or they may cut the arugula at the base and allow it to regrow so that they can get multiple harvests from the same planting. I am interested in how the flavors of these crops change as growing progresses. Will flavors intensify? Get milder?

To help me move towards understanding the changes that these crops take, I recently harvest some fully grown arugula from each variety that hasn’t be touched since its seeding as well as a single daikon from each replication that was approx. 1in in diameter at the shoulder. I took some data from each of these harvests, such as weight, length, width, and notes on appearance and flavor. I will use this information to compare to future tastings of the same crops.

I am always excited when I finally get to taste and compare the flavors of vegetables from the same species, you may think that once you’ve had a daikon, you’ve had all daikon but that is plainly incorrect. Some of the radishes I tasted today were spicy and creamy, others were earthy and tangy, some sweet and citrus-y! The power of veggies is not lost on me – I am looking forward to having others taste these as well!