Amarosia Organic Garden

For over 18 months our horseradish plants have looked like this.

The plants look like huge ‘dock’ plants and the leaves, which emerge early in the spring, are hot and spicy. I finally plucked up courage to dig up one of these monster beasts last week and found myself wrestling with an octopus! The roots spread out underneath the walkways, sending wood chips flying as I struggled to tear the plant loose. No matter which direction I tugged, the roots held firm. I ended up dismembering the plant with the spade releasing the odor of wasabi with each blow, and then went back to tackle each root individually.

Here is the resulting beasty minus a few limbs that refused to budge.

Horseradish is incredibly pungent when first sliced and its vapours can make your eyes sting and your nose run, but the oils quickly dissipate. This means that if you want to experience the maximum heat of a good horseradish sauce you need to grate it only when you mean to eat it. Keep the root stored in a plastic bag in the fridge in the mean time.

When you are in the mood for a tasty sauce, try grating it directly into a bowl of vinegar with salt for a simply hot dressing for roasted meat, or mix with mayonnaise for a delicious seafood sauce.

Remember to eat it promptly for maximum heat, or leave to stand for a little while if the initial bite causes the top of your head to fly off!

I love this time of year, when the snow recedes and amidst the grey little patches of colour start to emerge. So far I have spotted

Parsley

Horseradish

Tulips

Catnip

Plus garlic, daffodils, thyme, lavender, sage and strawberry plants. The big spring melt is almost complete and the soil underneath is soft if not exactly warm. Its quite a difference from 2 weeks ago. When the spring finally arrives, it arrives fast!