Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Armoracia rusticana

"...used as a sauce with country people and strong labouring men in some countries of Germany."
~Parkinson, 1640

The International Herb Association has declared horseradish the Herb of the Year for 2011.

In honour of the occasion, I dug some out of the garden last weekend. It wasn't easy. Horseradish roots go deep.
I dug and dug until I had quite the hole.

But it still did not want to come out.

This root is tenacious!

Finally, I guess I got a little impatient and careless with the shovel blade and snapped the root off near the bottom. That's ok though, the piece left behind will grow again.

I also severed the crown and replanted it back into the horseradish patch.

The root I harvested is destined for one of Sandor Katz's kimchi recipes. Yum!

Aside from its use as a condiment, horseradish has a long history of medicinal use as well.

2 comments:

Tony R said...

Holy cow! I had no idea the root was so long. Does the plant spread and take over an area like mint or sunchokes do?

Amber said...

Hey Tony! Yes it will spread and take over if you don't keep it under control. Personally, I don't mind food that spreads and increases of its own accord. :)