Kinda curious. I planted a few rows of Cherry Belle radishes, expecting, um, red radishes. The mature radishes are nice and red, but when they get a little larger, maybe a few days beyond maturity, they turn purple. No flavor or texture change, but a little odd. Is this normal?

It would seem that anthocyanin pigments have some pH sensitivity, and my soil is quite alkaline (ph~8). Alkaline soil tends to make anthocyanin pigments bluish, while acidic soil makes them red, OK, but what puzzles me is why the radish color should change. My soil pH isn't changing.

So, I might ask, why don't my beets turn purple? But ah! Anthocyanins aren't the main colorant in beets! That's betalains.