How to Grow & Make Horseradish

Homemade horseradish may be your new condiment of choice.

The spicy condiment used as horseradish, a favorite topping for sandwiches and salads, actually starts off as a plant. Horseradish can be planted in a home garden so that you can produce your own homemade sauce. Proper care of the plant, along with a careful combination of ingredients, can help you create an unforgettable homemade concoction that will have your family and friends asking for more.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Horseradish plant or cutting
• Compost
• Vegetable peeler
• Kitchen knife
• Food processor
• 1 tbsp. white vinegar
• Salt
• Jar with lid

Instructions

1. Dig a hole in your garden twice as deep as the roots of your horseradish plant, and about 4 to 6 inches wider than the roots. Choose an area that receives at least six hours of full sunlight each day. The plant can grow with as little as three to four hours of sunlight each day, but it will grow more slowly.

2. Hold your horseradish cutting or plant over the hole with the base of the bottom leaf level with the top of the soil. Slowly refill the hole with aged compost until all but the bottommost leaf and everything above are buried. If you are planting multiple horseradish plants, space them 18 to 24 inches apart.

3. Thoroughly moisten the soil and compost with room-temperature water. The soil may shift a bit; fill in any holes that form. The plant or rooting may wilt for a day or two, but as long as you keep the soil moist, it will recover quickly.

4. Water the horseradish plant any time the top 1 to 2 inches of soil feel dry to the touch. The soil should be kept consistently moist but not soaked through for best results. The compost should provide enough nutrition that you don't need to fertilize the plant.

5. Harvest the horseradish plant after the first frost of the year, generally in late fall. Dig up the entire plant, roots and all, to use for your topping.

6. Remove the leaves from your horseradish plant and rinse off excess soil. If the roots are longer than 10 inches, trim them into different 8- to 10-inch pieces.

7. Gently peel the skin off of the horseradish root with a vegetable peeler. Slice the root into 1- to 2-inch wide pieces with a sharp kitchen knife.

8. Drop the horseradish pieces into a food processor with 2 tbsp. of water. Activate the processor and blend until the pieces are ground and not chunky.

9. Open a window or run an exhaust fan in your room before you remove the lid of the food processor. Chopped horseradish has a scent more potent than that of onions, and can easily burn the eyes, nose and mouth.

10. Remove the lid of the food processor. If necessary, strain the mixture to remove excess water. Mix in 1 tbsp. of white vinegar and a pinch of salt (or more to your preferred taste). Pulse the mixture in the food processor to mix all of the ingredients well.

11. Pour the horseradish mixture into a jar and seal the lid. It will last three to four weeks in a refrigerator.

Tips & Warnings

• Plant your horseradish in the spring as soon as the ground is thawed and can be worked.

• If your horseradish plant is not blooming properly, apply a low-nitrogen liquid fertilizer, diluted per product instructions. This can boost the plant's production.

• Horseradish can also be grown in a deep container, such as a 5-gallon wine barrel. However, it will not thrive in small planting pots.

References

• Bert's Gourmet Horseradish: Growing
• Simply Recipes: How to Prepare Horseradish