Horseradish Root slice Armoracia rusticana

LATIN NAME: Armoracia rusticana

COMMON NAME: Horseradish

The horseradish sets its large, oblong, wavy-edged leaves and the dense spikes of the small, white flowers, and the whole plant stands in the bold, leafy clumps. The bold, clump-forming, hardy perennial carries the large, oblong, wavy-margined, long-stalked, bright-green leaves and the dense, upright panicles of the many small, white, four-petalled flowers through the early summer, one of the fine, bold sights of the kitchen garden, drawing the bees, to be followed by the small, oval, green seed pods. The thick, white roots have a very long record as the fine, hot, pungent roots of the old tables, and the plant is a fine, historic presence of the kitchen garden. It is a plant of the open, sunny, deep, rich, moist, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The horseradish is a historic subject of the plant science, and the dense panicles keep showing up in the work on the pungent-root vegetables. The chemistry of the thick, white roots, which carry the fine, hot, pungent compounds of the old kitchens, has been examined closely, and it keeps appearing in the studies of the pungent-root vegetables, the four-petalled flowers and the members of the cabbage family. The wavy-margined leaves and the bold habit have also made it a fine study plant, and the horseradish is a regular subject of the work on the pungent roots of the cool world.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The horseradish is a fine, bold plant of the kitchen garden and the study collection. The large, oblong, wavy-margined, long-stalked, bright-green leaves stand in the bold, leafy clumps, and the thick, white roots have a very long record as the fine, hot, pungent roots of the old tables, the grated roots coming to the sauces, the relishes and the roast dishes of the old kitchens, while the dense, upright panicles of the many small, white, four-petalled flowers open through the early summer, drawing the bees, to be followed by the small, oval, green seed pods. It is one of the fine choices for the kitchen garden, the herb bed and the study collection, and it has been written about in the culinary and the agricultural papers for the pungent roots and the very long history. It is a fine, bold plant of the open, sunny, deep, rich, moist, well-drained garden.

Give the young plants the deep, rich, moist bed, and the bold clumps will fill the kitchen garden.

To grow the horseradish from seed, sow the small, round, brown seeds a centimetre down in the tray of rich, gritty soil, keep the tray in a bright, open spot and water gently, then set the young plants out in the open ground. The seedlings push through within a couple of weeks and grow on steadily. With the sun and the deep, rich, moist, well-drained ground, the bold clumps will fill the kitchen garden.

What Makes Horseradish Hot? Horseradish is a member of the mustard family (sharing lineage with its gentler cousins, kale, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts and the common radish) and is cultivated for its thick, fleshy white roots.

The bite and aroma of the horseradish root are almost absent until it is grated or ground. During this process, as the root cells are crushed, volatile oils known as isothiocyanate are released. Vinegar stops this reaction and stabilizes the flavor. For milder horseradish, vinegar is added immediately .