Show Early Radishes By ELIZABETH EUZABETH C. C WALKER About this time of the year old timers in in Bountiful will recall the early early r radish dish in industry that started the growing growing growing grow grow- ing season of the year Radishes Radishes Radishes Rad Rad- grow rapidly and the trick was to have the first ones on the market for the April Conference MOTHER would take my sister Tam Tarn and I with her Wed We'd first shop in Thomas' Thomas store on the northwest corner corner corner cor cor- ner of First South and Richards Richard's Richards Richard's Richards Richard's Rich Rich- ards ard's Street then walk on down the block to Growers Grower's Market a row of stores with open fronts where all the available produce was displayed displayed displayed dis dis- dis- dis played like a miniature State Fair Wed We'd come home with witha a sack of radishes and if available which depended on the season a f few e w bunches of watercress What a time my sister and I had no radish got by us without without without with with- out a thorough inspection These were the first and after alter a long winter of stored re l. l vegetables bl they the were er ultra special u spec ra-spec a n 1 n Bountiful farmers grew radishes scallions and pieplant pieplant pieplant pie pie- plant rhubarb in abundance for the early market There were no reservoirs at that time to catch the water and they had to take advantage of the spring run-off run from the canyons usually lasting through three plantings of radishes THE TilE F FARMERS ARl used a special special special cial hot-bedding hot procedure covering the bed with a deep layer of manure in the fall then as soon as they could work the ground turning it it under and planting the seed Even when the temperature reached near zero the radishes radishes radishes rad rad- were hot housed An additional covering of or well rotted manure was applied applied applied ap ap- ap- ap plied to the top soil It usually took about a month to mature the first crop three weeks for each crop continuing on until summer lessened the demand for this crisp vegetable and the water supply had dwindled WHEN THE TIlE radishes were ready to pull it became a family project to bunch and tie them Usually twelve radishes made up a bunch and a sort of or contest grew between members to see vho who could pull and bunch the most produce for the next mornings morning's trip to the mar mar- ket Worked correctly the radish crop was profitable One early farmer made 1000 on a three- three fourth acre plot MARKETING was also a problem The wagon was leaded leaded leaded lead lead- ed in the early evening and the farmer rose and was ready to go by 2 am a.m. They traveled the distance by around six am a.m. Today a modern car can cover it itin itin itin in fifteen minutes The wagons wagons wagons wag wag- ons were uncomfortable They didn't have springs and the set on a dead X This made heavy packing packing pack pack- in ing impossible because the theo jolting o Ling would bruise the pro pro- duce If the market was slow a farmer would sell door- door to- to door to-door others went to hotels hotels ho ho- hotels and restaurants Bountiful's farming acreage is now very small- small but the memory of those large crisp radishes in a white bowl bowlon on the Sunday dinner table shared without conference relatives still looms tantalizingly tantalizingly tantalizingly clear in memory |