How to store horseradish in fresh, frozen and marinated?

In horseradish cultivation, it is not very easy and with minimal effort to have a stock of these fragrant roots, which are most often used for the preparation of juicy seasonings. And that the vegetable does not lose its basic properties until the spring, it must be properly prepared. And further we will tell you how to store horseradish in a fresh, frozen and marinated form.

Collecting and preparing the harvest for storage

Horseradish is a long-term culture, but two-year roots have the most vivid taste. Their collection is carried out in the autumn - in October or the beginning of November.

Note! If the horse-radish will be longer in the ground, it will become brittle and will not work for harvesting!

The roots are scooped out only after the foliage has been mown. The roots extracted from the soil are shaken off the ground and sorted-the young( annual) will become a planting material, the biennial will be recycled and subsequently stored. Digging out all the horseradish is not necessary - some of the roots can be left in the ground, covering them with straw, which will protect them from frosts.

Storage of fresh horseradish

You can keep the horseradish fresh both in the cellar and in the refrigerator.

How to store horseradish in the cellar

So, if you have a cellar at your disposal, then keep the horseradish fresh in it until the next harvest is quite simple. In addition, this method is the most economical and practical, since this culture rather well tolerates the neighborhood with other root crops, which saves not only time, but also space.

First you need to prepare the room. Inspect the cellar and carefully clean it. All undesirable inhabitants( insects and other pests) should be eliminated, as well as destroy mold and fungus. If in your cellar there is a high humidity, then in this case it is desirable to insulate the floor and walls. Far from being redundant in this situation will be heating appliances and regular airing.

Note! These measures will save the products in the cellar from rotting and disease!

After all the preparatory measures, you can lay down the horseradish for storage. Place a few large wooden boxes in the room and fill the bottom with dirt. Next, put the horseradish-roots should be placed in such a way that they do not come into contact with each other. Pour the first layer of wet sand and lay on it another layer of products. Depending on the size of the wooden box, there may be several horseradish layers at once.

Recommendation! If the harvest of horseradish was collected not in autumn, but in spring, the roots can quickly germinate. To prevent this, between the layers it is necessary to lay not wet sand, but slaked lime!

After the product has been stored, it is left in the cellar and examined from time to time. At the first signs of rotting, spoiled roots are thrown away, and the neighboring ones are treated with an antifungal drug. It is also necessary to ensure that the vegetables do not dry out. To do this, in the boxes periodically add wet sand.

In general, it is easy to keep the horseradish for the winter in this way, as it contains special substances that possess bactericidal properties. These qualities make this root crop suitable for long-term storage and under proper conditions, it will not lose its flavor and taste for a long time - up to a year and a half.

How to store horseradish in the refrigerator

If you do not have a cellar or cellar, you can store horseradish in the refrigerator, and this method is applicable for both autumn and spring crops.

Collected products are sorted and cleaned from the ground. For storage in the refrigerator suitable are small roots - no more than 30 cm in length. They need to be wrapped with food film and make several holes in it. Due to this, proper air circulation will be ensured and the product will not suffocate.

The packed roots must be placed in the lower compartment of the refrigerator. They can be stored for no more than three weeks, using as needed.

Freezing

Is it possible to freeze horseradish? Actually it is possible. This product is able to tolerate fairly low temperatures and maintain its freshness for six to eight months. There are two ways.

The first method involves storing horseradish cut into small pieces. Rinse the roots under running water, remove the peel and chop the dice. We spread the product on a paper towel, remove the excess moisture, then lay out the plastic bags and put them in the freezer.

The second method is storage of shredded horseradish. Properly my roots, clean and dry. We pass the product through a meat grinder and lay out on plastic containers or plastic bags. Immediately send the product to the freezer.

Storage of dried product

Before sending horseradish it is allowed to dry it. At the same time, such rootlets are no less convenient in the future use - they can be added to various sauces and condiments, put in the first dishes and meat snacks.

Note! You can dry those roots that you previously culled for storage in the cellar!

The selected root crops are first cleared from the soil, then the tops are removed and the small shoots are cut. After horseradish it is necessary to rinse very quickly under cold water and remove the thin skin. At this stage, speed is important, because if the roots are in water for a long time, they will imbue moisture and will be unsuitable for further storage.

Prepared product wipe with a paper towel and lay out in a single layer in the fresh air. Only make sure that the roots do not get direct sunlight. Otherwise, the phytoncides contained in the horseradish will evaporate, and most of the glycosides will break down and the roots will lose a significant proportion of useful substances and their characteristic taste.



Then the horseradish is dried. This can be done in several ways.

1. Cut into two identical parts of each root crop lengthwise and lay out on a baking sheet. We place the product in a preheated oven to 60 ° C and leave it for an hour and a half. In this case, the door must be ajar. This procedure will take about one and a half hours. We put the dried roots into small glass containers and use them as needed.
   

   Note! Before use, harvested in this way, horseradish, soak for a while in warm water!

2. Cut the prepared roots with thin slices and lay them in one layer on a baking tray. Dry in the oven according to the above scheme. Then we place the finished product in the bowl of the blender and crush it into powder. To store such a horse-radish can be in glass jars in a dry dark place.
3. Peeled and washed roots are rubbed on the grater and spread the resulting slurry in a thin layer on a baking tray. We leave in a preheated oven with the door ajar until it is completely dry. We store in the glass under the lid.

Marinating

. Since storing horseradish at home is preferred by most housewives in a pickled manner, it is not inappropriate to consider several of the most popular ways of such harvesting. This method is good because it is much more convenient to use such a product - it is not necessary to soak or grind the root, moreover, it is already completely ready for use.

1. The classic version of the horseradish is as follows. We rub the fresh root on the grater and add a little sugar to the mass. Solim to taste and add vinegar. We spread the horseradish on clean cans and send it to sterilization. After 5-7 minutes of boiling, we remove the product from the water bath and seal it with tin lids.
2. For those who like more sharply, there is another recipe. For 300 grams of fresh horseradish it is necessary to take a kilogram of tomatoes and 100 grams of garlic. All the products are passed through a meat grinder, add half a tablespoon of salt, sugar and pour a quarter of a glass of vinegar. All carefully mix and unfold on clean cans. Such a preform can be stored under nylon caps.
3. You can harvest horseradish with beets. About 500 g of roots rubbed on a grater, poured with steep boiling water and leaves under the lid until it cools completely. Then the liquid is drained, add a tablespoon of salt to the horseradish, the same amount of sugar and 100-110 ml of vinegar. Boil 300 g of beetroot, grate it and combine it with horseradish. We roll in pre-sterilized jars and send horseradish for storage.
   

   Recommendation! To get a beautiful pink color, only beet juice can be added to the workpiece. Only in this case it is desirable to use a little juice, otherwise the product will turn watery!

4. If you prefer a softer seasoning, we suggest to consider the next variant of harvesting horseradish - with sour cream. We rub 300 g of root vegetables and mix the resulting mass with 2.5 glasses of sour cream. Solim to taste, add sugar. Tightly close the lids. Such horseradish can be stored both in the refrigerator and in the cellar, but not longer than five days.

Thanks to these recipes and recommendations, you will be able to keep the horseradish for quite some time at home. You prefer a fresh product - send it to a cellar or a freezer, you want to have a spicy seasoning on hand - dry the root vegetable or marinate it. Have a nice appetite and stay healthy!