HORSERADISH: A ROOT FOR ALL SEASONS

HORSERADISH. Armoracia rusticana. A spicy and pungent member of the Brassica family, Horseradish has also gone by the names Red Cole, Mountain Radish, Great Raifort, and German Mustard. In German, it is meerrettich – or sea radish – thought to be pronounced by English speakers in antiquity as mare-radish, and subsequently to become horse radish in common parlance. Another source of the name is believed to originate from the archaic use of the word “horse” to mean “coarse,” as a means of distinguishing the spicy root from its gentler and more immediately palatable red cousins.

Horseradish has been used as food and medicine in folk traditions around the world for over 3,000 years. The Greeks and Romans used the warming root topically in poultices for aches, pains, and menstrual cramps, and the Egyptians and Greeks prized it as an aphrodisiac. Jews include Horseradish as one of the bitter herbs eaten during the Passover Seder, and it features prominently in Eastern European Jewish culinary traditions.

From the Horseradish Council: “During the Renaissance, horseradish consumption spread from Central Europe northward to Scandinavia and westward to England. It wasn’t until 1640, however, that the British ate horseradish — and then it was consumed only by country folk and laborers. By the late 1600s, horseradish was the standard accompaniment for beef and oysters among all Englishmen. The English, in fact, grew the pungent root at inns and coach stations, to make cordials to revive exhausted travelers. Early settlers brought horseradish to North America and began cultivating it in the colonies. It was common in the northeast by 1806, and it grew wild near Boston by 1840. Commercial cultivation in America began in the mid 1850s, when immigrants started horseradish farms in the Midwest. By the late 1890s, a thriving horseradish industry had developed in an area of fertile soil on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River.”

Traditionally, Horseradish has been used for an incredibly wide variety of ailments, including asthma, coughs, colic, toothache, sore throats, whooping cough, sinus infections, as a diuretic for dropsy (edema), as a circulatory stimulant, as an antibacterial agent, and for scurvy (due to its vitamin C content). Poultices of smashed or grated Horseradish were used to ease pain associated with gout, arthritis, muscle pain, and sciatica, and the root was infused in milk in an attempt to clarify the skin and remove freckles. Like many remedies of antiquity, Horseradish’s uses were often based on its immediately apparent attribute of warming, and its popularity for application against specific ailments varied from culture to culture and across geographic regions throughout history.

From Nicholas Culpepper in 1653: “The juice of Horse-raddish given to drink, is held to be very effectual for the scurvy. It kills the worms in children, being drank, and also laid upon the belly. The root bruised and laid to the place grieved with sciatica, joint-ache, or the hard swellings of the liver and spleen, doth wonderfully help them all. The distilled water of the herb and root is more familiar to be taken with a little sugar for all the purposes aforesaid.”

Horseradish has continued to be used for its medicinal properties in modernity, and its chemical compounds have been studied for potential pharmaceutical applications. From the American Botanical Council’s section on food as medicine, they say of the meerrattich:

“Horseradish root was approved as a nonprescription medicine ingredient by the German Commission E for treatment of infections of the respiratory tract and as supportive treatment in urinary tract infections. In the United States, horseradish root is the active ingredient of Rasapen, a urinary antiseptic drug. Horseradish is considered a strong diuretic and, coupled with its antibacterial properties, acts to flush out harmful bacteria or other inflammatory agents in the bladder sooner than they normally would be eliminated. Isothiocyanates in horseradish root are released when hydrolyzed by other active enzymes, which are activated only when the root is scratched. Fumes released from grating or cutting the root can irritate the membranes of the eyes and nose, and therefore horseradish should be prepared in a well-ventilated room and care should be taken in its use.”

Horseradish also has a rich history of culinary use, and has been eaten as a prepared accompaniment to meat, fish, and shellfish for hundreds of years. Horseradish is also an important ingredient in the oxymel Fire Cider, which has gained popularity in contemporary herbalism as a home remedy to stave off or shorten colds, and as an ingredient in salad dressings, marinades, and savory warm drinks. The root’s hot and spicy flavor are the result of molecules called glycosides (including sinigrin, gluconasturtiin, glucobrassicin, and neoglucobrassicin), and its volatile oils and sulfur-containing compounds are released when Horseradish is grated, blended, smashed, or ground. Horseradish is nutritionally valuable, and contains minerals such as phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, and potassium, and is rich in vitamin C. Cooking horseradish can strip it of its nutritional value, so it is best used fresh and plain or minimally prepared with vinegar and/or cream.

This brings us to my personal cultivation of and relationship with the Horseradish root. I first planted this in midsummer of 2017, after lamentations from my husband that commercially available Horseradish sauces were too mild for his taste. After reading about the ease with which it can be cultivated in the garden and prepared to one’s preferred level of hotness, I buried an organic nub that I bought from Whole Foods straight into a large-ish pot in my garden, gave it some water with drip line, and let it do its thing.

There was nothing special about the plant’s originating root other than it being organic; I just nestled it a few inches into the soil, covered it, and let it be. I planted the Horseradish with cheap potting soil and a bit of compost, and within about a month of warm weather, it started sprouting its first leaves.

I let the plant grow for about a year and a half, with only one small foray into the root system to check its progress and use a bit to make my own fermented Fire Cider. As it grew into the pot, it beautified my garden space with lush, green foliage that stayed vibrant through all months except January and February. At this point, the green growth browned and died back with cold nights and frost, though the root was still healthy and robust beneath the soil. Each spring, however, it would sprout lovely new leaves, which quickly grew into gorgeous, textured paddles.

I decided to harvest the entire accumulation of root today – May 22nd 2019 – so that we can make Horseradish sauce for our summer meals. Collecting the root is almost as easy as planting it; just dump out the pot, separate the soil from the root structure, and rinse.

I saved the soil from around the roots and returned it to the pot, along with the many earthworms and developing June Beetle grubs I found luxuriating in the dark and damp soil. These sweet creatures are great friends of mine in the garden, and I always thank them profusely for their contributions whenever we cross paths.

I saved a few roots that had new green shoots just emerging from the soil line, so that I could replant them and begin the growth cycle all over again. Into the pot with the earthworms and conserved soil, I added enough fresh compost to almost fill the container, and buried the roots a few inches deep, with just a bit of their greenery poking out into the sun.

To my happy surprise, I found volunteer roots next to my pot as I was watering in the new plantings! Some of the roots must have found their way out of the bottom of the pot and thus infiltrated the soil nearby. I’m always like a proud mother when I see my plants migrating and sprouting apart from the places I’ve planted them. It brings me so much joy that they’re finding their way into the surrounding ecosystem and making a place for themselves.

After harvesting and snapping off all of the leaves, I rinsed the roots and placed them in my collection basket. I gave them a moment of thanks for the ways in which they will bring happiness, warmth, and joy to my household and meals for the next many months, and extended my gratitude to the plant for growing so heartily in my garden over the past year and a half. This evening, the roots will be grated and left to release and develop their heat for an hour or so, then quenched with vinegar to preserve the flavor for our food.

This process of growing, tending, harvesting, and preparing a food plant is one of the most satisfying endeavors I have ever engaged in. There is such a deep connection with plant, ecology, and land that the consumption of the food becomes an elevated experience, imbued with a depth of appreciation and satisfaction that one can’t find by simply buying a plant product from a supermarket. Getting into the soil and watching one’s food grow creates a lasting relationship with that plant, and helps us to re-integrate ourselves into the rhythms of nature, which helps us to heal, grow, and cultivate profound happiness.

So, if you enjoy the spicy root that is Horseradish, please consider inviting this easy, lovely, and low-maintenance plant and medicine of antiquity into your garden. I promise it will be worth the effort.