Harvesting Horseradish and Garlic Potato Salad

Horseradish is a root and it takes at least a year to get going but once it takes a hold ... Look out!   You want to give the horseradish its own area and preferably not around the other garden plants...it will take over.   Fresh horseradish is very hot!   The first year we harvested some and I proceeded to chop some in the blender adding vinegar to make our own hot relish.   When I proudly took the lid off the blender and took a big sniff I almost knocked myself out from the intense odor....be careful with it!   We make a wicked sour cream and horseradish sauce for dipping meats and veggies in.

Here you can see the leaf and the root - the root is white inside and this is the part you grate or dice to make your own horseradish sauce.

Closer view of the root

Once you grate/dice your root you cover it with white vinegar and the combination is what the horseradish sauce consists of.  You can then add it to sour cream, chili sauce or experiment and create your own combinations.   You want to use 1-2" of the root at a time and store the remainder in the refrigerator in a plastic bag - this way it will stay fresher for you.   You do peel the brown skin off using a paring knife and use only the inner part of the root.

Tonight Garlic Potato Salad is on the menu and I suggested adding a touch of horseradish.   Not sure if we will actually do this but it is an idea!   The potato salad is very simple to make - all you need is a few ingredients and 3-4 hours time in the refrigerator for blending.

Usually we make this for a crowd and the hardest part of cooking lately is trying to cut down and cook for only two....it is a challenge.   I used only six potatoes, boiled them up and then peeled and diced into cubes.

Then I added 6-7 cloves of garlic - more or less depending on your garlic tolerance.  Added 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of diced onion along with about 3/4 cup of mayonnaise.

We still have parsley and cilantro growing strong and  you could use either one or both.   The combination of garlic and cilantro is addicting and I bet this bowl won't last long around here even if there is only two of us!