Had to wait an hour so I could see my computer monitor in order to type and show y'all my bi-annual "pain and pleasure" of making home made horseradish!! I thought I wasn't gonna be able to make any this Fall because the first real "hard frost" lasted all of last week and wound up putting a pretty good frost layer into the ground. In normal years, I wait until the killing frost knocks the tops down, and wait a week or two before I dig it up. Anyhow, I only had a few hours yesterday to dig it out. The ground was still too frozen at 9:00AM even with the rain and warm temps on Sat. After the Bears game I went out and finally could get my shovel into the soil. I was working in the rain and the light was fading, but this is what I got. It's been cleaned of dirt and soil, and ready to be "topped" and "skinned". This is what they look like "topped". The tops are saved and replanted. They will over winter in the fridge if wrapped in damp paper and loosely kept in a plastic bag. Next is "skinning" them. I use a potato/vegetable peeler and a pearing knife. Ideally you get all the "dark" spots off, but I'm not "too" anal about it. Many of the roots have "nooks and crannies" that hold dirt............I do the best I can to rid the roots of most of it. Here's a "skinned" picture. Next, I cut them into small pieces to be put into the food processor. This batch, much of the roots were carrot sized, so I cut them as if I were preparing carrots to cook. The bigger roots are diced and the smaller ones are cut to a sized proportionate to the others. A picture of the prior picture cut into pieces. Now comes the "painful" part................grinding/processing, adding the salt and vinegar, and then jarring the finished product. The more surface area you can get on your horseradish pieces, the "hotter" and more "pungent" it will be. A HazMat suit could be used here for the wimpy!! Everytime you open the food processor to scrape down the sides for even grinding, an invisible vapor cloud erupts from the processor burning your eyes, throat and takes your breath away. After about 3 minutes, I shut the processor down scrape the sides down and put the cover back on and let it set for at least 5 minutes. Longer=hotter here. Then I add salt and vinegar to the mix. The salt is for taste; the vinegar stabilizes the "heat". I turn the processor on for another minute to mix the salt and vinegar; then I jar the results. Here's what I wound up with from the above pix. The beer on the right hand size is for size reference. Probably got between 3/4-1 gallon of horseradish in this batch!!
Yeah buddy. I make about 2 gallon each fall. Dig it in any month with an R in it and it is good to dig. This year I made some up at the tail end with no Sugar (I see you use salt. Never heard of that. and no vinegar. I labeled the jars appropriately. Tastes dammed good in a bloody mary.
I've seen recipes that use sugar in the making; but that's not how my Grandpa taught me how. Just saying of course!!! If'n I had Scotty's "good hair", I'd have an afro now!! Wicked good stuff!!! Funny thing also, I never got close to digging out what I wanted to dig out. I dug out all the "volunteer" horseradish that always infiltrates the vegetable part of my garden. I could have easily made another 2+ gallons had I had the daylight to dig it out yesterday!!
I love a spoonful in a batch of coleslaw. Then the slaw goes on top of a pulled pork samich. Droolin now.
Your location says ND................I'm assuming North Dakota here. I make a trip or two to NoDak every year; and I find the local food very, very bland. Seems like the only spices available are salt, pepper and ketchup!!! Just saying of course!! You're one of the few that goes out there spice-wise...................save for the lutefisk!!!
Ya a buncha Germans and Scandinavians we are so nuthin too exotic. However we Germans do consider sauerkraut a condiment-side dish-spice all around nummy flavor agent. I need to work up the courage to try that there norski lutefish just so I can say I tried it. Afraid a bolt of litnin will strike me ifn a kraut tastes lutifish. However pickled herring is good stuff.
Green..............the Kraut I've have in NoDak is very, very bland. I like kraut with a lot of ZIP to it. And I don't mean "hot" either...............just needs some ZIP..............rather than tasting like lawn clippings!!!!
You're talking the kraut I think?? ZIP as in that it tingles on your tongue. Some will say it's "hot", but it's not.....................it's just the vinegar from the fermentation of the Kraut. Some folks wash the Kraut before cooking.......................I don't....................ZIP!!
Fish soaked in lye would put us Germans into the hospital I'm thinkin. I would rather make me some more Renderwurst outta bones and scraps and oatmeal.
That reminds me....I have a small cluster in front yard that's several yrs old now.I should see if its still ok.Had some in another part of backyard I neglected & a few years later it just disappeared.That area was kinda wet though. Back when I made a couple small jars worth I used an old metal hand cranked food grinder with different sized holes in 3 metal discs that clamped to workbench or counter top.Used a potato peeler & soaked the roots in 5 gallon bucket of cold water,made my hands sting when washing the mud from them,did all this outside (of course) & still wore a paper mask,almost tempted to grab my respirator with the charcoal filters.... The flowers smell nice in early-mid may though....
That is just blasphemous to wash kraut. You don't even cook it just crack a jar open and enjoy. Back in my misspent youth kraut juice the morning after cured hangovers.
