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HorseradishOnce established, the roots go down two feet or more into the soil. Because the roots branch and they are brittle, one can never get all the roots out. Even a scrap of the root will re-sprout, so the plants are there for life. Horseradish is as persistent as it is piquant. Horseradish is in the cabbage family, but unlike its kissing cousins, it is the root, not the leaves, that you eat. And unlike other crucifers, horseradish is not started by seed, but by planting a cutting. The Johnny's Selected Seeds catalog (www.johnnyseeds.com or 877-564-6697), one of very few that offer cuttings, explains that the seeds are not viable. They ship cuttings in April, "after danger of freezing in transit has passed." But you can also get cuttings from a friend who is harvesting now and plant some this fall.
Prepare a horseradish bed by working in some well rotten manure or compost. That will improve soil texture and keep the soil looser - for ease in future harvesting. Horseradish, which is essentially a weed, doesn't need high levels of nitrogen, phosphorus or potassium.
To prepare a cutting for planting, slice off the leaves and the top two inches of the root. Plant the cuttings a foot or so apart, and cover the top of the root with about two inches of soil. Water well, and surround with mulch to keep down the weeds. In a year or two you will be ready to begin harvesting. Horseradish does best in well drained soil, but really will grow anywhere. It will be most vigorous in full sun, but 4 hours is plenty. To harvest, loosen the soil around a plant, either with a garden fork or a drain spade. Drain spades have blades that are about 16 inches long and 5 inches wide, and are great for digging out deep-rooted things like horseradish. A mature root will challenge even the strongest backs, so you may need to sever the root with your spade to remove it. Prepare the horseradish for making sauce by hosing off the dirt, then peeling the dark brown skin to reveal its white interior. A potato peeler works just fine for that. The fumes of horseradish are very pungent, so think about working outdoors on a breezy day. Slice the horseradish lengthways into sections the diameter of your index finger, then chop into pieces about three quarters of an inch in length. Use a food processor (or even an old yard sale blender) to prepare the sauce, blending the chopped roots with vinegar. One medium-sized root yields about 2 cups of chopped root. Begin by adding a half cup of vinegar and pulsing until the horseradish is coarsely chopped. Add more vinegar - about another half cup - and blend for 2 minutes or until the consistency is moist and creamy. Add salt if you are so inclined. Put in a glass jar and store in the fridge - horseradish does not need to be processed in a hot water bath. The strong flavors of horseradish tend to create strong feelings: you either love it or you hate it. The nice aspect of horseradish, for gardeners who want it for their kitchen, is that it is essentially labor free. Plant it, and walk away. The outer leaves, which are a bit coarse-looking, will sometimes get brown and scraggly-looking, and slugs will occasionally nibble them, but the plants are trouble-free. They'll be there, just waiting for you to harvest the roots.
Henry's Shrimp Cocktail Sauce
Growing horseradish might be the perfect first step for folks who think that gardening is beyond them. So if you're harvesting now, think about sharing some tops with a non-gardening neighbor. Now, if someone would just develop corn and tomatoes that were so undemanding, everybody would garden. Henry Homeyer is the VT/NH associate editor of "People, Places and Plants" magazine. Write him at gardening.guy@valley.net or P.O. Box 364, Cornish Flat, N.H. 03746.
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Last update: Friday, November 3, 2006 at 10:46:13 PM. |
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