One of my memories is of my grandmother, whose sight was not the best anymore, scooping up a fork-full of horseradish, instead of mashed potatoes, with her roast beef. Popped the whole thing into her mouth.  After a couple coughs, she said, “Well that will clear out the sinuses!”.

I love horseradish.  My mom used to grow this perennial plant in the garden.  When dug up in late early to late autumn, the root looks like a yellow-brown ugly carrot.  It doesn’t have any odor until you start peeling it and cut the top off.  Leave about an inch below the greens – you’ll be using it to replant for next year.  You may also leave it in  the ground until after a good frost when the leaves die back, and since it is a cold hardy vegetable, you could leave it in the ground to over-winter, and dig in the spring too.

Lacking a food  processor in those days, she and dad would peel it and grind it in a meat grinder by hand, using thee smallest die so it would be fine enough.  This pungent root gives off eye-tearing, sinus -clearing, sharp odors once the root is opened and exposed to air. The whole kitchen would be filled with enough fumes to make anyone’s eyes run.  If doing it by hand, my advice is to do it outside.

Using a food processor makes it a much faster and safer experience.  I cut off the top, leaving some of the root with the leaves, then quickly peel the root with a vegetable peeler.

Chop into 1″ pieces and drop into the food processor.  Replace the top lid, and whir away until you have a finely chopped root.  You may want to add a tablespoon of water to assist with the processing.Now it’s pretty pungent.  Have your container ready.  Add a tablespoon or two of white vinegar, a bit of salt if you want it, & whir once more, and you have a slurry of homemade horseradish.  Pour it into your container, and pop into the fridge.  It will keep several months.

To keep it longer, it can be frozen – and it will lose some of the bite.  Freeze in small quantities and pull out just what you need.  An ice cube tray will work, then put the cubes in a bag, removing as much air as possible.

The roots can be stored whole in a box filled with dry sand, and placed in a dark area.  Then just process as you need a root, throughout the winter.

Freshly ground horseradish root will be stronger than that purchased in the store’s refrigerated section.  Just a warning.

Horseradish can be used for:

• seafood cocktail sauce – mix it with ketchup
• mixed with may on sandwiches
• in humus for a new zippier flavor
• added into salad dressing
• as an addition to a soup or stew
• in coleslaw or broccoli slaw
• in deviled eggs
• mixed into a vinaigrette or cheese sauce
• stirred into garlic mashed potatoes

Using it in food that is cooked with greatly reduce the pungency and the flavor will mellow.

Now that you’ve used the root, replant it for next year.  Ideally you would plant in the spring, but it is a perennial plant, and you can re-root the top and put it right back in the ground in the spring or fall.  It will grow best in fertile sand soil, that drains well.  If you don’t process one year, don’t worry – it will come up next year too!

I put the top pieces I saved in a small dish with water, and once the roots and new green leaves start emerging (4 or 5 days), I put it right back in the ground.  Having 3 or 4 roots a year is plenty!

 

 

 

There are all kinds of varieties of horseradish, some with large wide leaves,and some with small narrow leaves.  All with a pungent odor, and spicy taste.  I plan on ordering new roots next year to add to my collection in the garden.

Do you like horseradish? And how to you use it?