A FEW WORDS ON HORSERADISH !

Ah ... it's time to make home made horseradish.I've grated the root many times.
Did you know that the leaves are edible and are a great spicy addition to a fresh green garden salad?
I found the leaves were edible when I noticed my horse "Chico" eating it.He loved the stuff.Hence the name I guess.

Roasting Horseradish(root) is quite common in some regions of the world, while in other cuisines this practice is not even considered by the chefs. Similar to frying, roasting produces a more favorable dish, with the cost that some of the vitamins and enzymes found in the plant are lost.

I found the hardest part of making my own horseradish relish or sauce was cleaning the roots of dirt.
A garden hose only gets the majority off.You have to scrub and scrub it off.

To grate your own horseradish by hand, hold cleaned and trimmed horseradish root firmly. Using a sharp vegetable peeler,
( I use a nine inch chef's knife ) carefully remove the outer layer. Rub peeled horseradish root against a fine grating surface using an up and downward, cris a cross motion.

Be prepared to cry a little, and if grating more than one root to cry a lot!
I kind off like the crying pain thing but that's me.
You really should experience this at least once in your life.
It's a nasal experiance I can't relate to you here.

I found a quicker, more efficient method using a food processor. Wash and peel the root as you would a potato. Process not more that half a container load at a time. When the mixture reaches your desired consistency, add white vinegar. Use 2 to 3 tablespoons of white vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt for each cup of grated horseradish. No water because water dulls the bite of freshly grated horseradish.

The time at which you add the vinegar is important. Vinegar stops the enzymatic action in the ground product and stabilizes the degree of hotness. If you prefer horseradish that is not too hot, add the vinegar immediately. If you like it as hot as can be, wait a few minutes before adding the vinegar.

Fresh horseradish roots may also be finely shaved or grated and added directly to a food. This simple method is frequently used by discriminating chefs. Fine shavings may also be placed in a dish of lemon juice to be served at the table.

When I use "prepared horseradish" in a recipe, yes, it's usually bottled horseradish I like to drain it. Some of the processors make their horseradish with too much vinegar in it. Red horseradish?, add some fresh bright red beet juice.

That's enough words about horseradish.