Horseradish gets its characteristic bite from the interaction of two compounds, isolated from each other in separate cells of the plant. Intact roots and leaves have no horseradish-y smell but must be bruised, chopped, shredded, or chewed to bring the two compounds together. The finer the grating or grinding, the more pungent and richly flavored the root becomes. Horseradish is adaptable and tough, but providing it with the proper growing conditions will produce the biggest, sweetest, and most flavorful roots.
Sets generally come with the lower end sliced off on the diagonal to indicate which end should slant down. With fully horizontal planting, leaves will sprout forth from several points along the length of the set, which is less ideal. Cover over with topsoil after planting.
There are those who warn that overconsumption of horseradish root will irritate the sensitive lining of the digestive tract; they suggest limiting use to a quarter teaspoon at a time. To them,we offer the remark of a Yankee octogenarian who has grown, processed, and eaten horseradish all of his adult life and takes his daily dose of homemade horseradish sauce straight, by the tablespoonful, accompanied by much lip-smacking, tearing, sniffling, and sweating.
Peel the root and finely grate it, or cut it into cubes and place the horseradish cubes into a blender. Add one or two ice cubes and grind the horseradish until smooth. Make sure that you do this in a well-ventilated room and use eye and nose protection. The smell will be quite pungent.
For mild horseradish, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and a few pinches of salt immediately. For hot and spicy horseradish, wait 3 minutes before adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and a few pinches of salt.
My mother-in-law harvested horseradish and said should be harvested during certain months. It was either during months with an r in them or without an r in them. Is that true? I see photos of horseradish roots that appear to be two inches across. My roots are mostly only the size of a pencil or maybe my finger.
How do I get larger roots? Hello I have a question I hope you can answer. This is my first year and I just planted my horseradish a month ago. We live in Ontario Canada and winter is fast approaching us. So my question is can I leave my plant in the ground for the winter?
Or will this hurt the plant? I can't grow horseradish here in Florida; too warm. But, when I lived in the state of Maryland, I planted a single piece of horseradish left over from my Passover Seder Plate. I just dug a small hole and covered it over Much to my surprise, by the time the bush was about 3 feet tall, it was covered by the most beautiful white, sweet smelling flowers on every branch But no plant is perfect, and horseradish is a hopelessly aggressive spreader.
However, as long as you never forget its invasive nature, horseradish can be a happy garden resident. Placed at the end of a row, a clump of horseradish makes a useful barrier to weeds and foot traffic. You can make a new planting from horseradish roots purchased from a nursery, or simply use healthy roots from the produce market.
Planted in fall or late winter, horseradish roots sprout leaves in spring. Plants need at least one season, and preferably two, before they are ready to dig. Established plants often develop sprays of white summer flowers, which should be removed to keep plants from wasting energy, and to prevent unwanted reseeding. Horseradish always returns the next year no matter how carefully you harvest, so you will have plenty of plants to dig and move to a new spot in spring.
Weedy seedlings would only be a nuisance. Cool soil promotes the formation of compounds that give horseradish roots their pungency, so it's best to harvest horseradish in fall, winter, and early spring. I'm ready to dig a plant or two by early October, mostly to have the warming effects of horseradish on the autumn table.
I dig more horseradish in late November, just before the ground starts to freeze. I harvest horseradish roots again in spring, when I finish digging up older plants and dig out or move new plants that appear in bad places.
I suggest using a digging fork to harvest horseradish, and to begin by loosening the soil in a wide circle around the plant. Next, poke around with your fingers to locate the direction in which the taproot has grown.
Turn under or mix in generous amounts of well-decayed compost or other organic material. Incorporate either a complete garden fertilizer at a rate of one pound per square feet or a large amount of well-decayed manure into the soil.
Fresh or partly fresh manure used before planting will cause excessive top growth and forked roots. Let the worked-up soil settle a few days before planting. Space the sets one foot apart, setting them vertically or at a 45 degree angle.
If angled, make sure that the tops point along the rows in the same direction. This makes cultivating easier. Cover the sets with two to three inches of soil. How to keep your horseradish healthy and productive.
Controlling weeds Weed control is especially important early in the season when the plants are relatively small. It is best to cultivate in the same direction that you planted the sets. Mulch around each plant with organic material such as compost or leaves.
It will benefit the plants by retaining moisture in the soil, keeping the soil cooler and controlling weeds.
Lifting and stripping roots To grow high quality horseradish, lift and strip the roots twice. Do it first when the biggest leaves are 8 to 10 inches long and again six weeks later.
To lift and strip, carefully remove the soil from around the upper ends of the main root. Leave roots at the lower end of the set undisturbed. Raise the crown and remove all but the best sprout or crown of leaves. Rub off all small roots from the crown and sides of the main root, leaving only those at the bottom. Return the set to its original position and replace the soil. Insects The horseradish flea beetle is a serious pest on horseradish foliage. It deposits egg clusters on leaf petioles.
The larvae burrow into the petioles and kill some of the leaves. Sprinkle wood ashes lightly on the plants to repel the beetles. Good sanitation practices in the garden are the best insect prevention.
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