Ok, so you got radishes coming out of your ears by late May. What the heck do you do with ‘em? Far too many to eat, your neighbors are probably trying to give theirs away too. Rather than tossing them into the compost pile, try pickling. Here’s a quick, easy way to do it.

2 lbs red radishes, tops and roots removed, scrubbed clean

1/4 C plus 1/4 tsp pure kosher salt

1 1/2 C distilled white vinegar (5% acidity)

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp black peppercorns

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

Cut radishes into thin slices with a mandolin and place in a sealable container. Combine 1/4 cup salt with 2 1/2 cups water and pour over radishes. Let them sit for a few hours in the refrigerator until ready for use. When ready to use the radishes, place in a colander, drain, and rinse.

Combine vinegar, 1 1/2 cup of water, sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, and all of your spices in a non-reactive pan. Bring to a boil, and make sure that all of your sugar and salt have dissolved. Add the radishes, and bring to a boil once more. Remove from heat and loosely pack into hot jars.

If preserving, process in a hot water bath canner for 10 minutes.