How to Harvest & Prepare Horseradish

Horseradish is ready to harvest in late fall after the first frost kills some of its leaves. The partial dieback signals the plant to go into dormancy -- the ideal time to harvest. When the time comes, harvest the entire crop, or leave a few roots in the ground until you are ready to use them. They will remain viable until the ground freezes over. Immediately place any horseradish root that you do not prepare in a freezer bag in your refrigerator's vegetable crisper drawer. This will protect it from the degrading effect of atmospheric oxygen which slowly darkens the interior of the root and alters the root's flavor.

Trowel
Vegetable peeler
Knife
Blender or food processor
Measuring cup
5 percent distilled white vinegar
Container

Instructions

- 1
  Observe your horseradish plot. Mark off the plants with crowns that are wider than 1 inch in diameter. Smaller crowns are too small for harvest and may be left to grow until next season.
- 2
  Dig the horseradish roots out of the ground with a small trowel. Start digging 2 to 3 inches away from the crown, then work your way in until you encounter a root. Loosen the soil around it and then dig it out.
- 3
  Wash the roots under running water.
- 4
  Peel the thin skin off of the horseradish root with a vegetable peeler.
- 5
  Dice the horseradish root into small cubes.
- 6
  Put the cubed horseradish into the blender and cover it with ice water (do not include the ice).
- 7
  Grind the horseradish until it is minced.
- 8
  Pour off the excess water.
- 9
  Transfer the horseradish to a separate container using a measuring cup. Keep note of how many cups of horseradish you have.
- 10
  Add 2 to 3 tbsp. of vinegar per cup of horseradish. The amount of time that you wait until adding the vinegar determines how hot the horseradish will be. To make mild horseradish, add the vinegar immediately. Wait up to three minutes for hotter horseradish. Stir well.

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