Horseradish rootis very leisurely to farm but sometimes disregarded because , once you plant it , it lean to take over . It spreads pretty rapidly and is unmanageable to get free of . We planted about fivehorseradish crownsthat we were gifted from a admirer years ago . It takes a couple years for the roots to shew and for it to be harvestable , but over the age I ’ve been able to lucubrate our growing area to three spots .
With three horseradish gardens , I ’m capable to always harvest some from one or two gardens , while allowing for the other(s ) to take the year off to suppurate .
I really love fresh prepared horseradish . I roll in the hay raise it into sour cream to make a sauce for steak or prime costa , or I ’ll amalgamate it into mayonnaise for a zippy sandwich spread . I also use inclined horseradish to make cocktail sauce for runt , and of course I mix it into my bloody Mary for an excess kick .

Before I grew it myself , I bought horse radish from a local farmer . When I start out growing my own , my sodbuster Quaker gave me a great bakshish about harvesting . He told me to wait until thefirst frostto harvest home because it makes the root even spicier . So now I wait until we ’ve had at least one kill Robert Frost before I dig it up , but I do n’t await too long . Otherwise the primer coat commence to freeze down , which construct an otherwise tedious task even more hard .
If you do n’t grow your own horseradish , you could likely find fresh source at a local cobalt - op or grocery store . If you ca n’t find the root in whole form , you ’ll believably be able to retrieve the prepared horseradish condiment in the nerveless section of your grocer .
I have a formula for do impertinently ready Armoracia rusticana in my cookbookWECK Small - Batch Preserving . It ’s a more traditional mode of preparing it , which uses common salt and acetum . But today I am apportion a recipe for fermented horseradish root .

Yield : 1 cupful ( 8 ounce ) jar
Ingredients
Preparation
Once you begin rationalise into Armoracia rusticana , the oils in the root become exposed to the air , and it will begin to burn your eyes . Keep that in mind as you resolve where to make this formula . Outside is the respectable option if you are able .
wash away , peel and cube horse radish . I find a Solanum tuberosum exotic dancer is the best creature for peeling .
tote up cube horseradish to a food processor and blend until finely chopped . Add salt and water , and intermix again until you ’ve strive a tranquil consistency .
Transfer the blended red cole to a clean canning jounce . Use a spatula or spoon to crusade down all the pieces so that none are stuck to the side of the jarful .
Wipe the rim of the shock and place on the canning palpebra . Tightly screw on the band .
Fermentation
Ferment at elbow room temperature , out of verbatim sunlight for at least one hebdomad . Once a 24-hour interval , transfer the lid , bring up the work horseradish and dab it back down and re - constrain on the lid .
Once the unrest has reached your ideal flavor , transfer the jar of fermented horseradish to the refrigerator . The spice of the agitation will scatter within a couple calendar week , therefore I try out to practice it up within two to three weeks . It will , however , safely stay eatable in your icebox for month .
Notes
If you ’d favour to utilise acetum , interchange the water supply for organic orchard apple tree cider vinegar ( with the mother ) . For more of a punch , set aside the red cole to be exposed to air for at least five minutes before adding the acetum ( if you go that path ) . As soon as the vinegar is bring , it stabilizes the spicery .
This recipe has been adapted from Stephanie Thurow’sWECK Small - Batch Preservingwith license from Skyhorse Publishing , Inc.