Whether you enjoy horseradish as a condiment on your food or consume it for its health benefits, including antioxidant properties, anti-inflammatory, and anti-carcinogenic effects, knowing how to properly harvest this rough and often spicy (yet flavorful) root vegetable is key.
Ahead, horticulture experts share insights regarding the best times to harvest horseradish, along with some best practices to follow and common pitfalls to avoid.
When to Harvest Horseradish
You want to make sure you’re harvesting this root vegetable at the proper time to maximize its benefits. Carol Waters, a commercial fruit and vegetable production extension educator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, says you should aim to harvest horseradish annually.
“Horseradish is best harvested anytime after the first hard frost and the ground is not frozen [as] this allows sufficient time for the plant to maximize root growth and start storing starch/sugars in response to cooler temperatures,” says Elizabeth Ann Wahle, Ph.D., an extension specialist specializing in commercial agriculture at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She adds that if you harvest prematurely, you risk harvesting undersized roots and a root vegetable that didn’t reach its full potential regarding its flavor and heat…