Natural Food from Garden Plants: harvest the straightest horseradish roots

I have a new technique for coaxing my horseradish bed to produce the straightest roots I’ve ever seen. Straight roots are the easiest to clean and process.

First, let me explain that I harvest most of my horseradish roots quite early in the spring.

The taste is real hot in spring and I like hot horseradish.

I fertilize after the harvest and let the plants get about 6 inches tall. Then I till half the bed as deeply as I can. This chops up the roots and mixes the pieces into the soil. Many of the pieces are near the surface where they will quickly sprout and grow again. The important thing is that my roto-tiller leaves the soil so soft and fluffy that the roots have an easy, unobstructed path down into it.

The next year the tilled part of the bed will be full of super- straight, delicious horseradish roots, easy to clean and process. After the harvest, I till the other half of the bed to get thick, straight roots growing there. I plan to keep up this tilling rotation over the years.

Start with roots from a friend

To start a bed, get some roots from a friend who has one. A horseradish grower won’t mind because the plants expand quickly; unless you till around it several times a year they will try to invade neighboring crops. I once mentioned on the local radio that I had some horseradish roots to give away to folks who wanted to start a bed. People came for 3 days, and from as far as 40 miles away. Luckily, my bed was so big I could give a few roots to everybody.

You’ll need only six root pieces. Plant them as early in the spring as you can.

Till or spade the area to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. Dig a hole or furrow 4 to 6 inches deep and put a handful of fertilizer or compost at the bottom. Cover this with 2 inches of soil.

Push each root piece in the soil at a 45° angle rather than straight up and down. This way, the roots that form along the length of each cutting can grow straight down without getting tangled up. The top of the root cutting should be 2 inches below the soil surface.

(Note: if you buy roots at a store, one end will be cut on a slant. That slanted end should be planted downward. If you dig roots in a friend’s garden, cut them the same way so you’ll get the right end planted downward.)

Horseradish roots can be dug, ground up, and eaten anytime, but I think spring is the best. A kitchen blender or a food processor is great for making horseradish sauce. Mix together 2 cups peeled horseradish chunks, 1 cup distilled white vinegar, and 1 teaspoon salt. Grind the mixture to the texture you prefer. I like a fine mince. Horseradish sauce keeps very well refrigerated.

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