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Horseradish stimulates the digestive system, stimulates appetite. It is used not only in cooking, but also as a medicine for acute respiratory viral infections, as well as to strengthen the immune system. It is necessary to save horseradish in the winter at home so that it does not lose its beneficial properties until the new harvest.
Selection of raw materials for storage
Harvesting a vegetable plant for the winter should be done in mid-October. If you miss the time, it will be problematic to keep the product until spring. “Having sat out” its term in the ground, the root crop loses its juiciness, which affects the keeping quality and taste of horseradish. When choosing a root crop on the market for the winter, it is necessary to break it. If it breaks easily, then it has already been overexposed.
For storage for the winter, it is recommended to choose the roots of 2-3-year-old plants. The young culture is not yet as sharp as it should be. The old plant does not have a burning taste, in addition, it has a wooden structure. Determining age-appropriate specimens is quite simple. The diameter of such root crops is on average 2 cm.
Intact specimens without signs of decay, cracks, dents are selected and laid for storage for the winter. If the raw material is cut or otherwise damaged, the product will quickly deteriorate. The flesh of the vegetable should be white, without inclusions. The skin of a root crop suitable for storage is even, painted in yellow tones.
Damaged horseradish roots can be preserved for the winter by canning or drying them.
Preparing horseradish for storage
After extracting the root crop from the soil, it is carefully freed from the remnants of the soil, sorted by size. Set aside damaged or rotten specimens. You do not need to throw them away, they will be recycled. It is recommended to select fruits from 25 to 40 cm long for storage for the winter. The rhizomes are laid out to dry in a well-ventilated room.
Under direct sunlight, root crops are not dried. Under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, useful compounds are destroyed, phytoncides evaporate.
Horseradish storage conditions
Properly stored for storage for the winter, the root crop lasts up to 18 months. But only the first six months, horseradish has the qualities inherent in a fresh product. After that, the raw material loses its pungency and some useful trace elements.
In order to preserve vitamins and minerals in horseradish root until spring, it is important not only to correctly select raw materials, but also to ensure storage conditions.
Workpiece | Shelf life, months | Temperature regime, ᵒС | Conditions of detention |
dried root vegetable | ≥12 | Up to +16 | In a glass or ceramic container with a well-closed lid. In a dry dark place |
pickled product | ≥12 | Up to + 6 | In a refrigerator |
canned horseradish root | Until 8 | + 2 … + 6 | In the vegetable drawer |
frozen product | No more than 6-7 | – 18. | Freezer |
fresh roots | 6 | 0 | On the wall or suspended from the ceiling |
No more than three weeks | Up to + 6 | On the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for vegetables | |
From 8 10 up | From + 1 to -1 | Cellar or basement |
Ways to store horseradish for the winter at home
In winter, it is better for residents of private houses to store horseradish in basements and cellars, sprinkled with sawdust or sand. Residents of urban apartments do not have such an opportunity. They have to preserve, pickle or freeze the product.
In the cellar or cellar
The most convenient, cost-effective way to store horseradish roots until the next harvest is in the cellar. The product goes well with other vegetables stored for winter storage. The main thing is that the room should be properly ventilated, which will provide the necessary humidity.
In the cellar, the root crop is most often stored in wooden containers:
- A thin layer of sand (4-5 cm) is poured onto the bottom of the box.
- Dried horseradish roots are laid out on it so that they do not touch each other.
- A layer of sand is again poured on top. Stack the product.
- There may be several such layers. The final layer is sand.
At least once a month, stocks are reviewed. If any of the roots begins to deteriorate, it is removed. So that the horseradish does not dry out, during the revision, wet is mixed into the sand from the basement.
The optimum temperature for storing horseradish in the basement is 0 ᵒС, humidity – 80%
Freezing
In a product frozen for the winter, vitamins and microelements are stored in full for up to six months.
How to prepare and store peeled horseradish root for the winter in the freezer:
- Before laying in storage, the root crop is washed well under running water, peeled.
- The product is laid out on paper towels, allowed to drain water.
- Wet the raw material with a napkin to remove any remaining moisture.
The root is rubbed or cut into pieces of the required size, laid out in portioned bags, hermetically sealed.
Drying
When drying the horseradish root for the winter, the aromatic properties and useful components remain in the product, although not in full. After drying, they are ground into powder, used in the preparation of first and second courses. The product is added when preparing sauces, soups.
An hour before cooking, the required amount of the product is soaked in a small amount of water.
The algorithm for preparing and drying the root crop for the winter:
- Washed from the ground, the root is peeled.
- The product is cut into slices, laid out on a baking sheet in one layer.
- A pallet with a crushed root is sent to an oven heated to a temperature of 60ᵒС.
- Drying will take 60 to 90 minutes. Readiness is checked by touch, the horseradish should become hard.
- After cooling, the slices are ground in a coffee grinder or using a blender.
Horseradish root powder has a shelf life of two years. Store the product in hermetically sealed glass or ceramic containers. The workpiece is kept in a cabinet, away from sunlight and open heat sources. The dried root will begin to deteriorate if even a minimal amount of moisture enters the container. During cooking, it is recommended to collect seasoning with a dry spoon.
canning
Preservation is a good way to keep dug up horseradish at home for the winter, so that you can later use it as a full-fledged addition to dishes. Pickling and salting require some labor and time, but the result is worth it. Before filling the jars, they are subjected to sterilization.
Methods for harvesting root crops for the winter:
- With beets. 500 g of grated horseradish is poured with boiling water, covered with a lid. When the liquid has cooled, it is drained. 300 g of boiled beets, grated, 30 g of salt, 25 g of sugar, 125 ml of 6% vinegar are added to a container with a crushed root.
- Horseradish with tomatoes. For 1 kg of tomatoes, chopped through a meat grinder, take 300 g of grated horseradish, 100 g of garlic passed through a press. Add a teaspoon of salt and sugar, 60 ml of table vinegar to the mixture. Banks are closed with plastic lids.
- Classic recipe. 1 kg of the root crop is crushed in a meat grinder, 30 g of salt and 50 g of sugar are added. The workpiece is poured with boiling water, mixed. Horseradish is laid out in jars, lemon juice is added to each of them at the rate of 1 teaspoon per 200 ml of volume.
For storage, such blanks are sent to a dark, cool place.
How to keep horseradish roots fresh in the fridge
Fresh horseradish roots can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than one month. Only those whose length does not exceed 30 cm are suitable. After digging, the root crop is cleaned of soil and dried. Each root is wrapped in cling film, several holes are made in it so that air can circulate freely. The roots are placed in the vegetable storage compartment.
How to keep horseradish root fresh for a long time
Root crops periodically laid down for storage for the winter are inspected. If the product begins to deteriorate, it is removed from the total mass. Fruits suitable for further use are treated with antifungal agents. As it dries, the sand is moistened with a spray bottle. The same procedure is carried out if the raw material begins to dry out.
Conclusion
You can save horseradish in the winter at home in many ways, each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. City dwellers are more suitable for storage in a freezer or conservation. It is easiest for owners of private farmsteads to lay root crops in a basement or cellar.
