Making Prepared Horseradish
If you love spicy foods and dishes with an extra flavorful kick, then consider making your own prepared horseradish.
Horseradish, Amoracia rusticana, is a hardy perennial herb that has been cultivated since antiquity. It's easy to grow and is best harvested in the fall, winter, and early spring when the soil is still very cool. Cool soil promotes the formation of compounds that give horseradish roots their pungency. My gardeners recently harvested a bounty of horseradish from my garden. It was then cleaned and stored in the refrigerator until I made a large batch of “prepared horseradish” - it was delicious.
Here are some photos.
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- This wheelbarrow is filled with freshly harvested horseradish root. I grow it at the end of a garden bed next to my rhubarb in the flower cutting garden. When harvesting, use a sturdy shovel to dig up eight to 10-inch long tubers of horseradish.
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- The plant is native to southeastern Europe and western Asia and is popular worldwide. It grows up to almost five-feet tall, and is cultivated primarily for its large, white, tapered root. The plant itself, once established, propagates with tubers, and is very hardy.
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- Choose firm roots with cut ends that look fresh. The roots are covered with a somewhat hairy brown peel. Avoid any that are wilted, desiccated, or soft.
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- The horseradish was placed in crates and then put into my Flower Room kitchen to be washed and cut.
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- Enma uses a vegetable peeler to peel the surface skin off of the tuber.
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- She takes all the skin off to expose the clean, white root.
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- Then she cuts off the knobby end.
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- Once peeled, Enma places the root stalks into a stainless steel bowl of cold water. Once exposed to air or heat horseradish begins to lose its pungency, darken in color, and become unpleasantly bitter tasting over time.
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- Working in batches, Enma then washes the horseradish to make sure the pieces are all free of any dirt.
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- Mixing it with some citrus juice keeps the horseradish from discoloring. In another large bowl, Enma squeezes a lemon from one of my citrus trees here at the farm. This citrus press is from my collection at Macy’s – it is among my favorite kitchen gadgets. goo.gl/qpKagG
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- Enma then adds cold water to the bowl.
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- And places all the washed horseradish into this bowl. The horseradish will sit in the bowl while Enma peels more.
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- After all the horseradish is peeled and washed, it is loosely wrapped in a towel, placed in a plastic bag and stored in the refrigerator. It could stay here for up to four-weeks.
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- A few days later, I had just enough time to make some prepared horseradish the morning of my business dinner. Look how beautiful this fresh horseradish is – so white and very aromatic.
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- Working in batches, I cut up the horseradish into large chunks.
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- Then I cut them into cubes. Working with horseradish is similar to working with onions – you may want to cut the horseradish in a well ventilated area, where the fumes won’t burn your eyes. As the flesh is exposed to air, enzymes cause substances in the roots to change to spicy mustard oil, which could cause a little stinging. Some are more sensitive to it than others. This process stops when the root is submerged in vinegar.
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- Using a food processor, pulverize the peeled horseradish root until well ground. Add a tablespoon of water if necessary.
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- Making prepared horseradish is so easy. Once processed, move the horseradish into a bowl and add vinegar. For about a cup of horseradish, add about 3/4-cup white vinegar. Homemade prepared horseradish is about twice as strong as store-bought versions, and can last several weeks in the refrigerator.
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- Then add some sugar.
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- And finally, add a couple tablespoons of salt to taste.
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- I have a lot of horseradish to make, so I made one bowl at a time.
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- Using a spoon, thoroughly mix the ingredients together.
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- And then give it a taste – it has just the perfect kick. I am so excited with this fresh prepared horseradish. I shared it with my housekeepers, outdoor grounds crew and with my gardeners – everyone loved it.
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- Here it is in the center – we served it that night for my business dinner. It was the perfect accompaniment to our delicious pot-au-feu. Bright and pungent, fresh horseradish perks up any meal. If you don’t already, I hope this inspires you to grow some of your own! You’ll love it too.
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