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The Gardens of Mien Ruys - a book review

I don't know how I missed her, but I was totally unfamiliar with Mien Ruys. A beautiful new book The Gardens of Mien Ruys details her life and work. Born in the Netherlands in 1904, she was the daughter of Bonne Ruys, who founded Moerheim Nursery in 1888. She grew up in a liberal atmosphere and encouraged to learn and study. She found great comfort in the natural world around her and learned all the plants in her father's nursery at a young age. After leaving school at the age of 19, she knew that she wanted to work in the garden center. The Moerheim Nursery, in addition to selling plants, had an on-site design studio where they published a detailed catalog and sold landscape design plans to customers. It was in the design studio where Ruys first began to work and she was soon encouraged to venture beyond her country and study abroad. Her father's connections helped her secure a traineeship with Wallace & Sons Nursery in Tunbridge Wells in England. There, she met Gertr...

Radish Salad (what to do with all those radishes)


I grew a lot of radishes this spring. I use them in green salads all the time but there were so many this year that, short of opening my own food stand, I didn't know what to do with them. I found this recipe online and loved it. This is good as a side dish with fish or some other main course.

I cut this recipe in half which still makes 4 good servings.

(Recipe courtesy AllRecipes.com)

Summer Radish Salad

2 cups thinly sliced radishes
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sliced red onion (I used slightly less because I do not like a strong onion flavor)
1 cup seeded and sliced cucumber
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 TBS. white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. chopped dill

Toss the radishes with the salt and let it stand for about 10 minutes. Drain off any liquid and transfer to a bowl. Add the onion and the cucumber slices and gently toss.

Whisk together the olive oil, white wine vinegar, sugar, garlic and dill in a small bowl or measuring cup and pour the mixture over the radish mixture. Toss to combine, cover and refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. Looks and sounds great! Radish sandwiches are good too!

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  2. That's a great-looking salad, Phillip.

    Was the taste sharp/spicy with all those radishes? Or did the cucumber cool things off?

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  3. YUM! Sounds great! I have a radish and tuna salad recipe with lemon juice, salt, olive oil, parsley, celery & green onions. But I'm always up for another recipe, so thanks for sharing! Did you know radishes are natural antibiotics?

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  4. Carol, believe it or not, I've never had one!

    Aaron, yes a bit spicy but the cucumbers too cool it down.

    Katherine, I love tuna salad and would like to find that recipe!

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  5. Thanks for the idea, because I do indeed have too many radishes!

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  6. Mama used to say that Radishes had made more gardeners than anything else because they come up fast and produce in a short time, very encouraging.

    I put radishes in cole slaw. They give a little bite and a little color.

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