Radishes make a great snack. Packed with potassium and vitamin C, they can also help manage blood sugar levels for those with diabetes. Besides being healthy, they are delicious when dipped in butter and sprinkled with salt. When planted, the peppery vegetable can be ready to eat in as little as four weeks, making it a handy addition to any garden.

Salad radishes are the most popular type, known for their crunchy and peppery kick. In contrast, winter radishes, which can be sown at the end of summer, have a milder flavour, making them a great addition to cooked dishes like stews. Regardless of the variety, one thing they all have in common is turning shrivelled and soft if stored incorrectly. 

Whether growing radishes yourself or buying them from the supermarket, keeping them fresh for as long as possible can be tricky. You might often find that when left in the fridge for too long, your radishes become watery and tasteless.

Knowing how to store them properly, though, can prevent this and keep them fresh for longer. Better Homes & Garden Test Kitchen brand manager Sarah Brekke has shared her tips for keeping root vegetables crisp for longer with a few simple storage solutions.

To get the most out of your radishes, clean them with a damp paper towel, removing dirt.

Trim the greens and stems and wrap the radishes in a clean, slightly damp paper towel before placing them in a ziplock bag.

Store in the fridge and use within five to seven days. Cleaning the radishes and wrapping them in paper instead of storing them in plastic packaging ensures excess moisture doesn’t get to them, preventing them from going bad, but you should wait to slice them until you use them.

If you want to keep them fresh even longer, Sarah advises placing the clean, trimmed radishes in a water-filled jar. Whichever method you choose guarantees you can snack on the veg for longer.

And a great option for getting the most from your radishes is by pickling them, says Sarah. Below are Sarah’s instructions for quickly pickling radishes at home, which can be kept for as long as four weeks.

How to pickle radishes at home 

• Wipe any dirt from the radishes using a damp paper towel
• Trim off the greens and stems
• Cut your radishes into slices or quarters
• Divide the radishes into two clean pint-sized mason jars

To pickle them, heat one cup of white or apple cider vinegar, one cup of water, a tablespoon of sugar and two teaspoons of kosher salt in a saucepan.

Stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved, then pour over the radishes.

Add preferred spices to the jars. These could be dill seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns, mustard seeds or crushed red pepper flakes.

Let them cool to room temperature before adding the lids and placing them in the fridge.