I've grown horseradish for many years but I always dig it up each fall and process it. I've never even let it go more than 1 year without harvesting. I've never pickled it or dehydrated it so can't help there.

I grind it and then freeze it in canning jars. I dig it in the fall after a few good freezes. I bet you will find some HUGE roots if it hasn't been dug up for decades. The bigger ones will probably be pretty woody. I like the roots to be 1/2" to 1" in diameter.

In the thread linked below I describe the entire process that I use.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6278148/i-made-delicious-coleslaw-yesterday-thanks-annie#n=32

Well, we've had a couple of frosts, and temps of 29F over night. So, I'm thinking of taking a shovel to the ancient horseradish. If it's difficult, I might have my brother go at it with his tractor/bulldozer. There isn't anything precious growing nearby, and who knows what the roots might be like after decades. I'll take pictures, though I haven't had much luck posting pictures here. I'm hoping to do a combination of grinding and putting in vinegar, and dehydrating. I hope our nice weather holds.

Martha

Thank you, Zeedman!

Martha

I did manage to dig into the horseradish patch, and got quite a few medium-sized roots. My photos refuse to load. There are certainly areas of root that have decayed, but there are also lots of white, fresh-appearing areas. I scrubbed them in a bucket outside, and I will bring them inside for trimming and chopping later. First, I need to rake leaves to mulch the garden for winter and to control weeds and moisture next year. Make mulch while the the sun shines!

Martha

So, the horseradish roots are cleaned and chopped into small chunks. The chunks are a result of the twisted shape of the roots and having to cut out discolored areas. The roots seem quite tough and woody to me, which is not unexpected. But, I don't know the texture of "normal" horseradish roots. Are they like carrots? Potatoes? These roots are difficult to get a sharp kife through in spots, so tougher than carrots. The color and visual appearance is pretty uniform, though it feels as if some parts are a bit more tender when cut with a knife. I'm hesitant to put them into my food processor, because I don't want to damage it. I could dehydrate what I have, and try to grind it in a spice grinder. That would be my preferred mode, due to the relative expense of the spice grinder compared to the food processor, if one is going to be damaged. Also, I rarely use the spice grinder, while the food processor is a workhorse, in season.

I could also try to shred it with a box grater, though the small pieces will make that tedious, and I might be overwhelmed with the vapors. The chopping I've done so far did make my nose run, but in a kind of pleasant way. Certainly not toxic levels.

Any thoughts? Thank you in advance.

Martha

After peeling, good HR roots should be white, a little firmer than a carrot, and not fibrous, stringy.

I've used a Cuisinart mini prep food processor to grind mine for over a decade at least and it is still going strong with no damage. The blades are still very sharp.

How many cups of cleaned roots do you have to process? If you plan to do this every year you might want to invest in a mini prep. I think I paid about $20 for mine IIRC but I see now that the one I have is $45. There are others I see on a google search in the $15-$60 range.

LJ,

Thanks for checking in again. My HR is definitely fibrous. Some parts are worse than others. I think I will pulse what I have in the smaller "bowl" of my food processor, with the smaller blade. I'll check back in a few hour, hopefully.

Martha

Whew! Even if it's old and gnarly, the horseradish still maintains a powerful kick. I was able to grind it in my food processor, outdoors, by pulsing it for 10-20 seconds at a time for 20 minutes or so. Then, I added white vinegar and pulsed a bit more. I got about 24 oz of coarse paste. I brought it inside to put into jars, and as I spooned it up, the fumes nearly consumed me. Once I put on a medical mask, the fumes were tolerable. My mother, sitting 15 feet away wasn't bothered at all. So, I think I have useable product. It's now in 4 -8 oz jars in the freezer, until I decide who might actually use it. Anyone have favorite recipes? The coleslaw suggestion sounds heavenly to me. Given the cost of meat theses days, I don't see much steak in our future. Even shrimp is pretty pricey, though I do love a spicy cocktail sauce.

Not sure if I should try to plant more. There weren't really many medium to small sized roots. I did save the two that seemed appropriate. Maybe I'll search more for growing in containers. I'm getting old enough that containment/control of the garden is looking attractive.

Martha

Martha

I always replant the crowns after harvest. Crowns are the very top of the plants at the soil level.

I doubt you really even need to replant at all since the bed has been there for decades. I'm pretty sure you missed plenty of roots when you dug it up.

I gave some crowns to a friend last year and he planted it in a half barrel and it grew well. Though he hasn't dug the roots yet.

I'm going to harvest mine the week of Thanksgiving which is my tradition. Only once has the soil been frozen at that time.

I have plenty of large black pots from various plant purchases over years. Maybe I'll stick what I have in a big pot and bury it in raked leaves somewhere in the garden. I will also keep an eye on the original site. Thanks for the support during this process. I'll try to check back in when I actually use some in a recipe. I did send some home with my brother. His wife has had long term, horrible, lingering effects on her taste buds from a COVID-19 infection nearly a year ago. Nothing tastes good, except spicy items. Maybe the horseradish will taste good.

Martha