Tasting Seven Varieties of Freshly Harvested Daikon
Preschool
December 11, 2018
The day after our daikon harvest, we compared the taste of the different radishes.
The varieties we had planted were:
● Aokubi daikon
● Miura daikon
● Shogoin daikon
● Santaro
● Ayamekko
● Benigesho
● Kuro-naga daikon
Seven varieties in all.
Their shapes and colors looked different on the outside, but when we cut them open, they were all white inside!
We labeled each plate with a photograph and the name of its daikon so the children could identify them.
The two-year-old class ate their daikon with mayonnaise.
A few children kept dipping and licking off the mayonnaise, while others happily crunched the daikon as a snack.
The three-year-old class first tried the daikon plain. After tasting its natural flavor, they added special dips made by their teacher. Even children who had not wanted to eat it plain enjoyed it with a dip. The yogurt sauce was the favorite!
The four-year-old class made their own dips, combining ingredients of their choice from soy sauce, miso, salt, sugar, sesame oil, lemon and yogurt.
They enjoyed comparing not only the different daikon varieties but also their original sauces.
After tasting, the four-year-olds drew observational pictures of the daikon. Previously, they had drawn daikon as entirely white, but this time their pictures included a range of colors.
Most daikon sold in shops have their leaves cut off. Harvesting them gave the children a chance to discover just how large those leaves can be, and their drawings reflected that discovery.
The varieties we had planted were:
● Aokubi daikon
● Miura daikon
● Shogoin daikon
● Santaro
● Ayamekko
● Benigesho
● Kuro-naga daikon
Seven varieties in all.
Their shapes and colors looked different on the outside, but when we cut them open, they were all white inside!
We labeled each plate with a photograph and the name of its daikon so the children could identify them.
The two-year-old class ate their daikon with mayonnaise.
A few children kept dipping and licking off the mayonnaise, while others happily crunched the daikon as a snack.
The three-year-old class first tried the daikon plain. After tasting its natural flavor, they added special dips made by their teacher. Even children who had not wanted to eat it plain enjoyed it with a dip. The yogurt sauce was the favorite!
The four-year-old class made their own dips, combining ingredients of their choice from soy sauce, miso, salt, sugar, sesame oil, lemon and yogurt.
They enjoyed comparing not only the different daikon varieties but also their original sauces.
After tasting, the four-year-olds drew observational pictures of the daikon. Previously, they had drawn daikon as entirely white, but this time their pictures included a range of colors.
Most daikon sold in shops have their leaves cut off. Harvesting them gave the children a chance to discover just how large those leaves can be, and their drawings reflected that discovery.
Author Profile
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Reiko - Services and Community Coordinator Japan
Reiko joined CGK’s founding team in 2016, bringing seven years of experience in licensed nursery schools in Japan and six years across two international preschools. She has also volunteered at a daycare in Canada and has held preschool leadership roles at CGK, including Principal and Vice Principal.
A qualified nursery teacher and holder of a Class 2 kindergarten teaching license in Japan, Reiko values each child’s interests and strengths. Drawing on her experience in multicultural early childhood settings, she supports an environment where children can explore new interests through hands-on experiences and express themselves in their own way.