“How about some horseradish?”
There I was, standing outside my co-worker’s house with a bag of her homegrown butternut squash and bell peppers, already feeling like a mooch.
But when you are the benefactor of someone’s overabundance of garden goods, and you had to abandon your garden due to a life change, you milk it for all its worth.
So off we ventured into her garden, just as the fall daylight was fading to darkness. I held a flashlight as she dug out roots from a row of plants with long, narrow green leaves.
“If you put one of the roots in the ground, it’ll grow into a patch,” she told me. “They can spread quickly.”
Perennial and low maintenance — right up my alley. I just might do that, I thought, pending the taste test results.
How to make horseradish sauce
That’s the story of how I ended up with a handful of pungent horseradish roots and instructions to process them with vinegar to make a sauce.
I’m calling this recipe “back to basics” because there are only three ingredients, which are prepared and combined by hand.
Most people use a food processor, but we don’t currently have one while living in the camper. Use one to speed the process and for a smoother consistency. Note (or better yet… ignore) the chunks in my final product!
Ingredients
- 1-2 fresh horseradish roots
- 1-2 cups white vinegar
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Open a window. Ventilation is your friend!
- Wash soil off the roots
- Use a vegetable peeler to peel the outer layer from the roots
- Chop or grate the root into fine pieces
- Add horseradish to a small mason jar
- Mix in salt and enough vinegar to cover the top
- Store in the fridge
- Use to add some extra zing to salads, sandwiches, and other favorite dishes
Source / Inspiration
Like I said, this experience was thanks to the generosity of my kind co-worker, Katie.
I also consulted this article from Commonsense Home, one of my favorite homesteading resources. It includes more information including how to dig up the root and additional recipes.
Meghan Telpner, one of my go-to resources for nutrition and healthy living, is working on a list of 109 things to do with horseradish. Check it out for horseradish health benefits, recipe inspiration, and a laugh!
Your turn
Are you a horseradish fan or completely new to the process like me? Share some wisdom below or let me know when you give it a try for the first time.
