Photo by Jim Long
If you haven't grown your own horseradish, you can buy it shrink-wrapped at most grocery stores.
Ingredients
- 8- to 12-inch long piece of horseradish root
- Enough plain water to help the food processor pulverize the roots
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup vinegar
- Pinch of salt
Directions
- Once the horseradish is dug from the ground (don’t think you can pull it up, you can’t, the roots go much too deep for that), cut off the top and leaves, rinse the root and peel it with a vegetable peeler.
- Cut the root into pieces and put those, a few at a time, into a food processor. Add a bit of water and chop to a smooth consistency in the food processor.
- Scrape the grated horseradish into a bowl and let stand for 3 to 5 minutes, then add the vinegar, mixing well.
- Pour the prepared horseradish into a glass or plastic jar and refrigerate.
- Use within 3 to 4 weeks.
- Note: Horseradish can be kept frozen although the heat will be diminished somewhat. The heat in horseradish comes from a volatile compound, isothiocyanate, which, when oxidized by air and saliva, generates the hotness. Both mustard oil and horseradish contain isothiocyanate, which acts as a preservative and both have been shown to combat the food pathogens, E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus and others when eaten on food. Some people claim eating a bit of horseradish clears out their sinuses. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute recommends horseradish as part of a healthy diet.
