137: A Reddish Radish

Settings: f/8, 1/180, ISO 100, 50mm Pentacon f/1.8 M42, 16mm extension, 1/4 flash, white & foil reflectors. PP background cleanup.

030: Black Radish

It won't be long before winter is over, but a few of these dark roots still lurk in the garden, refusing to be categorised easily in the kitchen. They are appreciated when cooked, but actually making the decision to prepare them is not a light one. Not only do they have to be banished from he bosom of the Earth but I need to consider a suitable way to cook them beforehand. Their hearty, robust nature [in structure and taste] does not sit well with many delicate, subtle ingredients. Their strength and stubbornness makes them probably the most wintry vegetable I can imagine.
But I can see at least a couple of these being roasted in the near future - so that's a plan already.

Photo settings were f/8, 1/100 sec. ISO 100. M42 50mm, 9mm extensions.
I haven't had much time or opportunity to take any genuinely decent photos today, but the frozen snow from yesterday added some interest to potential outdoor scenes. I think the radishes possess a great variety of textures and shapes, if not a great deal of colour. Spiky fresh leaves sit on top while gangly dead stems flop below them. An algal bloom encrusts the root tops, highlighting both the root's skin texture and the time it has spent in the ground. A scattering of crusty snow finishes off this picture - not a great image, but one that I can relate to.

002: The Ice Man

Behold, an ice man! Found standing on a frozen pot tray in the garden, how it formed is a mystery to me.
I fancy it shares an silhouette with Batman, if only it was opaque. It rained after I took this photo, so I expect it's metled now.

Ice photos are a good example of how still photography doesn't just capture a frame in time, but how it can preserve a seemingly evanescant form, albeit mummified in ones and zeros, coloured dyes or silver.

Did you know that black radishes taste just like Brussels sprouts when cooked? They're both winter brassicas...
I was very surprised by this, which I didn't notice until today. Have the frosts strengthened their flavour? Maybe it's because they're older roots, or maybe it's just because I cooked them differently. It was a curry today, before I just put them in stir-fries.
They could be an alternative to the sprout for Christmas dinner, if you can tear yourself away from tradition.