Horseradish planted last year in my brother and sister-in-law’s garden and ready to harvest in a few years. This year’s horseradish came from a patch near Sanborn.
FOR MY EXTENDED FAMILY, making horseradish marks a time-honored tradition started by my father and my Uncle Mike decades ago.
Dad died 10 years ago, Uncle Mike before him, and, for awhile, so did the annual ritual of making horseradish. In his last years, Dad made horseradish with my sister Lanae and her husband, Dale.
Washing mud and dirt from the horseradish roots with the garden hose is the first step after digging.
Then, in recent years, Lanae and my brother Brian restarted this family tradition. The past two autumns, my husband and I have traveled the 120 miles to Brian’s rural Lamberton home to peel and slice, process and bottle horseradish. Mostly, I’ve documented the process with my camera although I’ve also assisted (some) with the actual making of this condiment.
To be honest, the horseradish isn’t the reason I’m there. It’s the cherished time with my mom (also known as “The Supervisor”) and extended family that draws me back to my native southwestern Minnesota prairie. We are building memories and honoring the memory of my farmer father.
Dad would delight in our gathering—in hearing the laughter and bullshit (sorry, I can’t think of a better word choice) and seeing us together. Dad was all about family.
Like our father before us, we give away our horseradish. My husband and I gathered a baker’s dozen jars to take back to Faribault for Mick and Mooch, Howard and Neal, and Dan, Steve and John, and a few others who appreciate a good taste of potent, eye-stinging, nostril-clearing horseradish.
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THE STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS:
After the initial washing of the roots with a garden hose, the stems are trimmed away and the horseradish goes into a laundry bag for washing in the washing machine. Do NOT add laundry detergent.
Part of the crew, left to right around the tables, Julie (a friend of my brother and his wife, and a newcomer) and family members Adrienne, Adam, Andy, Lanae and Tara, prepare to peel the brown outer layer from the roots. All of the brown is removed so the finished horseradish is a creamy and unblemished white.
Once peeled, the horseradish is dumped back into a laundry bag for a second wash in the washing machine. Do NOT add detergent.
Once out of the washer, the horseradish is chopped.
Lots of horseradish to cut in to small pieces.
Next, the horseradish pieces go into the food processor, operated here by my husband, Randy.
Brian, left, and Lanae blend the horseradish with vinegar in blenders while Randy uses the food processor.
Sometimes the powerful pungent fumes overpower the workers.
Adrienne buries her nose in her sleeve and stepped out of the garage a few times when she couldn’t handle the overwhelming sting of the horseradish.
Once blended to just the right consistency with the correct amount of vinegar, the horseradish is poured into jars.
Lots and lots of jars of all sizes will hold the horseradish.
“The Supervisor, ” aka my mom, Arlene, shows up to inspect.
After hours of labor, the beautiful results. Creamy white horseradish.
The Supervisor counts the jars., 70 total ranging in size from baby food jars to around 12-ounce size. My sister-in-law, Vicki, watches my mom at work. At one point, when my brother suggested an easier method of counting, The Supervisor told him to “shut up.” We all cracked up. We know who’s boss, and it isn’t Brian.
The last step is to take the peelings and horseradish tops to the garden for planting. We want to assure that we have horseradish for years to come, holding on to tradition, building memories and honoring our dad.
CLICK HERE TO READ last year’s post about making horseradish.
© Copyright 2013 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
How do you make the horseradish last? Refridgrate it? Or can it?
It goes in the fridge and keeps for months. When the color starts changing to an undesirable brownish, it’s time to toss. That is if you have any left.
Thanks!
You are welcome. I assume you are making horseradish.
I have never but I would like to try one day.
Just have a good work crew to help with the process. It’s more fun, and takes less time, that way.
Do not add detergent. Repeat: do no add detergent. 🙂 Love the pictures and especially love The Supervisor’s admonition to stay out of her business. Feisty little gal, huh? I love horseradish but I can’t imagine how pungent that garage smelled during the processing.
We all love The Supervisor. It’s so cute to watch her count and tabulate the number of jars produced. She’s the best.
We kept one overhead garage door open, which helped some.
If you’d like a jar of horseradish, pop into Faribault (and my house) the next drive to Mpls. You are always welcome here.
You are sooo sweet to invite me and you know I will take you up on that! Am headed that way in a week but it will be before the crack of dawn—maybe I will just have to make a special trip sometime so we can catch up……check your calendar and let’s schedule a time to do something fun together in late October, okay?? Road trip even??? 🙂 I’ll drive!
Sounds like a plan. I haven’t shown you Faribault yet, have I?
Nope!!!! Sounds like a great place to start!
What a fantastic tradition. I very much enjoy horseradish w/ketchup with pork/beef roast – yum. Love the “supervisor” bit; that great!
It is a great tradition. We treasure every year The Supervisor is there overseeing and counting jars.
Loved so much about this post. Getting together to honor your dad, your humor, the photo’s! I loved the all the pics but the two of the ladies trying to withstand the smell cracked me up! Your mom is precious, so great that she’s got a handle on what’s going on 🙂
Question: Do you have to preserve the jars, or is it something that just has to be used sooner than later?
Just put the lids on the jars and pop into the fridge. No canning involved.
Just so you all know way back when dad was alive the only job the “Supervisior” mom did was wash the jars and count them. Nothing has changed for her job. Dad even made lunch for us, his famous pancakes–which were fried in lard lots and lots of lard. I miss him, but am glad that his family still gets together to make horseradish. We always had to have it done before the fall sale at the Vesta Legion Hall so he could take some. Must say it was gone fast.
Thanks for that additional historical info, sister. I’m glad the pancake making part has changed as I do not like pancakes.
It makes for a fun post about family togetherness…but I’d be like your niece (is that right?) who buried her nose and had to leave the room…only I would never come back. 🙂 You can have your horseradish, and I’ll have my high towers and we’ll agree to disagree on such important topics as heights and horseradish! 🙂
Laughing here, Gretchen. Yes, that would be my nephew’s wife who buried her nose in her sleeve. She returned, though, after getting fresh air and continued with her work.
Nice photo of Lanae and of the “Supervisor”.
Thanks. I like to capture those memorable moments, you know.
I remember making sauerkraut growing up and the house would smell for days – ha! Horseradish is probably worse than cutting up hundreds of onions – STINKY!!! Great Captures – love learning about the process too:)
It could be compared to cutting onions. My dad made sauerkraut, too, so plenty of memories of that for me also.
I think of that movie Julie and Julia and the scene where Julia Child is cutting up all those onions at her home and her husband comes home and has to back out of the kitchen – ha!
Thanks so much for sharing your family tradition…I can remember my uncle planting horseradish in his garden but that’s about it. What a tribute to both your Dad & Uncle.
Traditions like this need to be preserved and I’m happy to share with readers like you. Thanks for stopping by to comment and welcome to the Minnesota Prairie Roots family of readers.