Amazing in its variability, the Amana Radish is a fun radish to grow, because the grower never knows with certainty what (s)he will be harvesting. Its color ranges from purple to red to white. The size is highly variable as well. Some radishes will be small and round, others of medium size with irregular shapes, and yet others quite large and sometimes carrot-shaped.
Culture is identical to that of other radishes. It can be sown quite early in spring (cover to thickness of seed), when nighttime lows still dip slightly below freezing. It goes to seed rather quickly and has a tendency to self-sow, so that a second harvest in the fall is often possible without any additional effort on the part of the grower. Seed stalks can be harvested when some of the individual seed capsules on the stalk have turned a light tan color.
Storing quality is unsurpassed. In some Amana families Vielfarbige Rettich are a New Year’s Day tradition. If stored in the crisper drawer of a refrigerator, they will as fresh and crisp on that day as they were the day they were harvested.
This variety was brought from Germany to the Amana villages in Iowa (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A...) by a group of German Inspirationists.
