Horseradish

Horseradish is pungent, healthy, easy to grow and makes so many foods even more delicious!

Just one of these root cuttings planted into a large pot (or old bin in my case) will grow so quickly and by late spring you’ll be enjoying the young leaves as an excellent punchy addition to salads and sandwiches. The older leaves can be used to wrap food ‘en papillote’ style such as fish or chicken to infuse a subtle mustardy taste. The roots are the reason most people grow this gem of a vegetable though. Once the frost kills the leaves, you can turn out your pot and expose all the pale roots which will have developed underneath. Keep a couple of side roots to grow next years crop and use the main root and others as your harvest.

Fresh horseradish grated over toasted root veg or into a buttery mashed potato is a thing of wonder and of course you can always preserve some or make your own horseradish sauce.
Did you know that virtually all wasabi sauce made outside Japan is actually horseradish with green food colouring? Be prepared though, once cut the horseradish releases mustard oil which acts to protect it from being gobbled by herbivores in the wild but will also sting your eyes and nose! The pungency of horseradish fades so either use immediately, preserve in a sauce or cover in the fridge. The root will darken as pungency fades.

Health wise horseradish boasts a huge range of potential benefits including being anti bacterial, anti fungal, good for breathing issues, circulation and even a protector against cancer! It is high in vitamin C too 👍🏼

One word of warning, I very much recommend growing this amazing plant in a large tub stood on a slab or bricks etc unless you have an area where you are happy for it to spread and stay forever. The roots are incredibly strong and grow really quickly and while that is a brilliant thing for providing us with horseradish is makes it virtually impossible to relocate!