All the Dirt on Gardening

Growing horseradish , Armoracia rusticana, is a timehonored tradition for vegetable and medicinal gardeners. Native to southeast Europe, the Egyptians were known to use it in their cooking as early as 1500 B.C. In Europe it was used medicinally as a rub for sore joints as well as being rubbed on foreheads as a headache and sinus-pain treatment. During the Renaissance, horseradish root became a staple of German diets as a meat relish, spreading from there to Scandinavia and Britain where it was eaten with beef and oysters. In the North American colonies it was called a radish. Perennial horseradish plants were grown as a useful root vegetable that was stored in the root cellar with the roots of parsley, parsnips, turnip, carrots, beets and skirret which is another perennial root crop. The strong flavor of horseradish is due to the same oil found in all the other mustards and brassicas. In 1700, one American author wrote about preparing shaved horseradish root, mixed with s...