Growing Garlic

In the past I've written about the benefit of growing herbs, the experience of growing horseradish, and the thrill of growing vegetables and savoring that first, amazingly fresh bite, not to mention the various uses such as turning cucumbers into pickles and chilled soups.  Now I want to talk to you about garlic.  My guess is this is something you've never considered.  I hadn't thought about it much in the past either, until one day one of the garlic pods in the kitchen basket sprouted -- a very healthy sprout -- and I just couldn't bear to cut it up or throw it away.  So I marched it outside that fall afternoon and shoved it into the ground.  After that initial shoving, that is seriously all of the time I spent on it, and the last time I thought about it until shoots started coming up in the spring.  The heat killed them off and I thought that was that, until they returned with a vengeance.  Okay, I'll water them, I said to myself, and I did.  The other day the tops died back, so I thought I'd dig them up and see what was underneath. These are pretty small, but the aroma is just intoxicating. Not only that, but when I cut them, juices ran.  Juices! That's when I realized just how desiccated the pods I've been buying in the store really are. I left some pods in the ground for next year when they should gain a bit of size, and the next pod to sprout in the kitchen basket will join them. This was so easy that I just cannot  encourage you enough to give it a try.  A bit of empty space or an empty plant pot is all you need.  You have nothing to lose, and every aromatic thing to gain.

Now to find just the right recipe to do these cloves justice.

An excellent book on growing vegetables in containers (for those of you who don't have a lot of space) is this one:

This post is linked to:

Seasonal Sunday, Metamorphosis Monday, This Week in My Garden, Outdoor Wednesdays and Tuesday Garden Party

Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

Horseradish flowers

It was never my intention to grow horseradish.  Not that I had anything against it, mind you, it had just never occurred to me to do so, and never once in all of my years of gardening did I ever run across a horseradish plant at the garden center.  One year we just happened to be visiting friends in my husband's native NJ and I was admiring his very large, very lush vegetable garden.  "What plant is this?" I asked him, pointing in the direction of a very healthy, wide-leafed plant.  "Horseradish," he replied, and then went on to sing the praises of the ease of growing, the disease resistance, and the wonderful jars of fresh horseradish they'd get each season as the result of this hardy plant. In fact, he told me, his horseradish had become so popular among his family and friends that people asked to have their names put on a list to get a small jar each year. 


I thought nothing else about it after our visit, so was very surprised when, two days after our return home, the Fed-X man was knocking at the door.  I hadn't ordered anything and neither had Jim, so the contents was a puzzle.  Much to our surprise, inside the package were six horseradish roots along with specific instructions as to how to prepare the soil and plant the roots. 


This was six years ago, and we've had horseradish ever since.  Horseradish, like Jerusalem artichokes, is one of those things that you put into the ground once and reap year after year after year. If you haven't had fresh horseradish, let me tell you it is amazing.  It can also be quite deadly if you don't learn to prepare it properly, i.e. outside, wearing a mask.  The first time I cleaned the roots I did so over the kitchen sink with no mask.  I ended up with the worst headache of my life and had to go to sleep in order to get rid of it, so be forewarned.  This does not, of course, apply to the roots you find in the produce section of your market, they are not out-of-the-ground fresh. 


There are many uses for horseradish, one of which is these delicious mashed potatoes.  My husband will not eat mashed potatoes, considering them too bland, but he does like these.  You can control the level of "zing" by adding more or less to your taste.  Consider this recipe as more of a guideline than something written in stone.  Experiment!

HORSERADISH MASHED POTATOES 

2 lbs. large Russet potatoes, peeled and quartered*
3/4 cup half-and-half (more or less to achieve desired texture)
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 T. fresh horseradish (but drained, bottled will do)

Put potatoes in a medium, heavy sauce pan. Cover with cold water, then simmer, uncovered, until fork tender, 25-30 minutes (Test with fork).

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan bring half-and-half, butter, salt, onion powder and pepper just to a simmer, stirring until butter is melted; keep hot, covered.
When potatoes have reached desired doneness, drain in a colander and put back on the hot burner to allow for evaporation of any liquid that remains in the potatoes. You'll see a lot of steam for a minute or two. With hand mixer, smash potatoes and then beat on medium speed, slowly adding the hot mixture.  Stir in horseradish.  Serve.

I like to mound the potatoes in an oven-proof dish and place them under the broiler for a minute or two to brown the top edges and make them puffed and golden. Yum!


*You can use small red potatoes and leave the skins on for a more rustic dish

This post is linked to:

Seasonal Sunday, Metamorphosis Monday, Made by You Monday, On the Menu Monday, This Week in My Garden, Outdoor Wednesdays and Tuesday Garden Party