Horseradish

Horseradish by Tina Sams Jan/Feb '11 issue, The Essential Herbal Magazine

Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) is a member of the mustard ( Brassicaceae ) family, known for the sharp taste that immediately opens our sinuses when eaten. It has been cultivated for at least 2000 years, but the exact origin is not known. Delicious on meats, vegetables, potatoes, and seafood, it is rarely used as an everyday food. That may change a bit this year, as the Int’l Herb Association has chosen Horseradish to star as herb of the year in 2011. More than any herb they’ve chosen in the past, many of us have a lot to learn about Horseradish.

We are so spoiled here! I wracked my brain trying to come up with a new way to approach this Herb of the Year, and literally smacked my forehead when it dawned on me that some of the best Horseradish in the world is grated and sold fresh right here at our amazing Central Market 3 days a week. Let me tell you a little about “our” market.

One thing that almost all Lancaster Countians have in common is our immense pride in the Lancaster Central Market. In 1730, Alexander Hamilton included it in the original plan of the city, and conveyed personal property to the City of Lancaster in a deal that ensured that the market would always be there. It has run continuously from that time, with a building being constructed first around 1757, and then being remodeled into our outstandingly beautiful current market house in 1889.

Central Market continues to be the jewel in the crown of the city. On market days (Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday), the city teems with shoppers. It is a real testament to the vision of Alexander Hamilton that this one vibrant part of our heritage has been the thing that kept our town from suffering the fate of so many similar towns.

Michael J. Long is the 4^th generation of Longs at the helm of Long’s Horseradish.

The family has held a stand at Central Market since 1930, having started the business around 1906. It was originally started by the Goldbach family (Michael’s father’s maternal family), changing over to Long’s with Michael’s father.

Throughout all those years, the Horseradish stand has been there (Tuesdays and Fridays only). They always have a fan blowing the pungent scent of the roots over the market house crowd as a utilitarian iron grinding machine is put to service throughout the day. That scent to me IS the smell of the market house, and I’m certain that the beams are infused with it. As the roots are ground, they are periodically added to a kettle, covered with vinegar, and the lid is replaced on the kettle immediately. The hood that covers the grinder must retain a lot of the scent, but Michael told me that many people have gotten teary eyed in front of the fan.

H.J. Heinz is probably the oldest continually operating Horseradish processor in the country. Since Horseradish is a seasonal business, a second income was generally needed to tide families over during the off months. Heinz went with tomatoes while the Goldbach/Longs were tinsmiths in the early days, and as transportation and refrigeration improved it became a year-round occupation.

While the Longs do grow Horseradish for personal use, what is used for production is mainly from the Mississippi River Valley states, and they are beautiful, fleshy white roots. As I asked that question, I already knew the answer. We were asked that all the time when we had an herb shop, but with success comes the inability to do both the growing and the business end, so it becomes necessary to rely on growers.

I’ve only ever known good, fresh Horseradish – except the rare “off-brand” cocktail sauce that people unknowingly serve, or the even rarer sauce (if you can seriously call it that) served with a fast-food roast beef sandwich. We are so privileged to expect the best because it is the only thing we know here! The Horseradish will have been ground between 2 and 4 hours earlier if purchased at market, but Long’s is available at grocery outlets as well. They also make a superb cocktail sauce, full of zing, and spicy mustards.

In fact, I only put it in my own garden this past summer when a good friend sent me a piece through the mail. It is so easily available I never considered growing it.

Recently, Dr. Oz talked about the three herbs we should add more often to our diets. They are: Rosemary, Saffron, and Horseradish! He added that Horseradish is very effective at helping digestion and liver detoxification. The gall bladder is stimulated to release bile when we eat Horseradish, making it a great alternative for digestive problems.

Ah, but the good doctor merely scratched the surface!

The root contains a cornucopia of vitamins and minerals. Higher in vitamin C than oranges or lemons, it also contains lots of vitamin A. Add a healthy dose of chromium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, riboflavin, calcium, manganese, niacin, and zinc, and we have a nutritious condiment that deserves a more revered place on the table.

The diuretic effects of Horseradish can be helpful in cases of bladder infections and kidney stones, and it also increases perspiration, which can lower fevers. It is antibiotic, anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, and anti-inflammatory.

It’s very hot taste comes from the glucocides sinigrin and 2-phenylethylglucosinolate. When cut, cells are crushed, enabling an enzyme called myrosinase to interact with these two substances, releasing the oil, explaining why a Horseradish root has no smell until it is cut, grated, or ground. It also contains glucosinolates thought to provide resistance to cancers. The root is considered beneficial in cases of lung infections, sinus problems, arthritis and gout.

Although there is much written in reference to using Horseradish externally (think mustard plaster), the juice can cause blistering of the skin, so caution is advised. In fact, the essential oil is classed as hazardous.

Horseradish root is a staple ingredient in the Fire Cider recipe popularized by Rosemary Gladstar, and that can be found easily on the internet.

Some other simple remedies using Horseradish:

Expectorant Syrup (also good for hoarseness) Boil ground Horseradish root with brown sugar and a small amount of water.

Horseradish Juice is taken ¼ to ½ tsp between meals to improve sluggish digestion and decrease indigestion.

Cough Remedy

1 t freshly ground Horseradish mixed with 1 T honey and steeped in I c hot water, drunk like tea. One cannot be “the Horseradish man” at market without gleaning lots of great tips for uses of Horseradish – as if 4 generations of passed down information weren’t enough. Michael told me that no matter what the recipe says, ALWAYS add the horseradish to the dish last during cooking. This is backed up by my research, that emphasizes high heat kills some of the beneficial medicinal properties of the root. The only exception to this rule would be when coating a roast with Horseradish prior to putting it into the oven. In that case, the flavor will penetrate the meat and be even more delicious. A customer told him to try making gravy with the drippings from that same roast, and he assured me that it is heaven on earth. Another surprising tip he passed along is to cut the leaves before they get to 12” high, and take out the center vein. Sauté them, or simply add them to salads for a surprisingly delicious and different flavor. And now I am glad to have planted a bit in my own garden!

From Long's:

CREAMY HORSERADISH SAUCE ---- 1 cup sour cream---1/4 cup prepared horseradish---1 tsp. pepper---2 tbsp. worcestershire sauce-(mix together and use with beef)

PAULA'S DEVILED EGGS-------6 hard-boiled eggs,sliced in half lengthwise---2 tbsp. mayonnaise(light or regular)1 tbsp. prepared horseradish---1 tsp.chopped sweet pickles---1 tsp. parsley--salt to taste---1/4 tsp. dry mustard--dash of paprika. Put egg yolks in bowl and mash well with fork,combine all other ingredients and mix well,fill the white halves with the mixture and garnish with parsley, pimiento, or slices of olives. ADD HORSERADISH TO YOUR FAVORITE BBQ SAUCE or CREAMY SALAD DRESSING

long's horseradish c/o michael long 2192 west ridge dr., lancaster, pa. 17603

Meltdown - My Three Mile Island Role

I will admit that it is starting to fade. It's been over 30 years and I was just a kid looking back, working in a job that was way outside my comfort zone. Lets just say that if it had ever occurred to me that they would hire me, I would never have gone to the interview just to appease my mother. Before 911 came to town, County Control and County Emergency Management departments shared the sub-basement at the courthouse in downtown Lancaster. I learned during the following 11 months that it takes a special kind of person to stay on the phone with victims of violent crimes, or to be involved in the most horribly intimate moments of strangers' lives on a daily basis, and it isn't me. 3rd shift can be boring in a job like that once the bars are all closed. We usually had 3 people on the police side of the room, and 2 others across the room working fire and ambulance. One slow night, I pulled out one of the procedure books. There were all kinds of worst case scenarios and little bits of information on what we should do. I recall reading that if, when answering one of the phones, the party on the other end said something like... "an ill wind blows from an island three miles north" it would mean an emergency on 3 Mile Island. There wasn't much about what was to be done after getting the call. So the night that they actually did call, I guess they didn't have the procedure book handy because they didn't use the secret code. We believed them anyway. We were short-handed that night, and I think the 4 of us were playing cards. I can't remember exactly what time it was, but it seems like it was around 5 or 6. There was quite a bit of time left on the shift for everyone to freak out before shift change at 8. The accident had happened 2 or 3 hours earlier, but they didn't call for a couple of hours... I'm thinking they were too busy. The head of Emergency Management was in a car heading north for a meeting that day, and (before cell phones) when we requested many, many times that he find a phone and call in, he refused, demanding that we switch to a less popular radio channel and tell him what was going on. See a pattern developing here? Nobody seemed capable of following procedure. It wasn't that they didn't want to, it was that they didn't know it existed. We were all so complacent. I remember answering phones for the next 2 hours. People reporting in that they were going on vacation, could the police keep an eye out? Sure... no problem. It was eerie, and I couldn't say a thing to anyone - not the policemen that were calling in that they were now on duty, not the people who thought they heard something funny on the scanner, nobody. I wanted to tell them to all run! There was an unspoken agreement that we would stay calm and quiet until we knew something real. At 8 o'clock, I went home and didn't tell my roommate before going to sleep. At 10 o'clock, the person in charge of Emergency Management called me and woke me. Was I SURE that nobody had called earlier. I reminded him (?!?) that all means of communication in to base were taped 24/7 and he could easily pull the tapes from the night before. Now they were saying that they'd called, but we hadn't responded in any way - not that it made one smidgen of difference. When I woke up later that afternoon, I told my roommate. It was on the news shortly afterward, but the news didn't resemble what I knew. The local college was starting to empty as parents came to pick up their kids. They were smart. For the next week or 10 days, I would go to work each shift and shared the space now with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. We had a red telephone in our office with no dial. You picked it up, and it went right to the White House. They all wore little glass dosimeters. Every day when I was not at work the television news would reassure me that the containment was holding and we were safe. Every night I would return to work to find that was not the case - nobody really knew, but the local news station wasn't about to tell us that. They just kept blathering away. It wasn't that they were withholding information exactly. It was because it was very, very difficult to obtain any real idea of what was going on in there. I hope that all these years later Japan has better means of reading the situation, but it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't. It was an enormous shock to me at the time to learn that our best and brightest didn't have any idea of what to do during TMI, but now I know how it is. We build and hope for the best - or at least that it will work until we aren't around to worry about it anymore.

Holy Basil - The Incomparable One

Holy Basil – The Incomparable One by Tina Sams

This article ran in the Nov/Dec '10 issue of The Essential Herbal, and I was sure that I'd added it to the blog, but apparently it was a note on the Facebook business page but not blogged. If you know how much I love holy basil, you'll know that I don't mind repeating myself here one little bit!

“Oh Narada, wherever Tulsi grows there is no misery. She is the holiest of the holy. Wherever the breeze blows her fragrance there is purity. Vishnu showers blessing on those who worship and grow Tulsi. Tulsi is sacred because Brahma resides in the roots, Vishnu resides in the stems and leaves and Rudra resides in the flowering tops.”

(Padmapurana (24.2) Lord Shiva tells the sage Narada of Tulsi’s power) The Essential Herbal Yahoo group had a discussion 5 or 6 years that led me to an herb that has become the very first herb I reach for in almost any situation. Oddly enough, the conversation on the group was about weight loss and how stress hormones increase belly fat. I started doing some research in order to discuss the topic, and stumbled across Holy Basil, a plant that had somehow found its way into my garden that year. What luck! I immediately started a tincture.

Holy Basil goes by many names – Ocimum sanctum and O. tenuiflorum, Sacred Basil, Tulsi, and Tulasi, it comes in a green leaved variety (Sri or Lakshmi) and a purple variety (Krishna) as well as another green leaved variety that is used in Thai cooking. While it is a basil, the first two are rarely used in cooking.

In India, Tulsi has been considered a sacred herb for at least 3000 years. The benefits ascribed to this herb are nearly unbelievable, however testing is being conducted and it is proving to be an extremely valuable and health-giving plant.

Going back to my own experience with it… I made the tincture and didn’t really do much with it for a while. Later that fall, my terminally ill brother moved in with me while waiting for a liver transplant. It was an extremely difficult time, and I was completely unable to get a grip on my emotions. I went to a counselor who was hell-bent on giving me anti-depressants, but I declined. Shortly thereafter, I remembered the holy basil tincture and took about 50 drops. Within an hour, I could feel a complete shift in the way I was looking at the situation, and it enabled me to function fairly well. The next “trial” would be on my tax-guy sweetheart. It made a huge difference in the way he got through tax season that year. It was amazing.

So just what does this miracle herb do? It is primarily classified as an adaptogen, reducing stress and the way our bodies react to stress, strengthening the immune system, and is a neuro-protector that works as an anti-depressant. That just scratches the surface, however. Components in holy basil work similarly to aspirin on inflammation and aches and pains, fevers, colds, and flu. It neutralizes free radicals and protects healthy cells from radiation. It is useful for stomach problems and ulcers, as well as heart disease. It has blood-thinning properties as well as reducing blood sugar. In fact, according to Deepak Chopra, M.D. Founder of The Chopra Center, “In a recent study of forty patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) people taking two and one-half grams of dried Tulsi leaf powder every morning showed significant reductions in their blood glucose levels first thing in the morning as well as after their meals. In addition to lower glucose levels, they also had a mild reduction in their cholesterol levels.”

A cup of the tea works very well as a preventive or on mild illness, while I use the tincture almost exclusively because it is just very convenient. A tea blend that I make (Cuppa Happy) is truly wonderful. For the past 4 or 5 years I’ve been singing the praises of this herb. My local herb farmer (Kathy Musser at Cloverleaf Herb Farm) grew an entire flat of baby plants in the Lakshmi and Krishna varieties for me to tincture and dry for teas this year, and teased me about how many of her customers told her I’d sent them for it.

They are growing beautifully, and I tend them lovingly each day, treating them with the reverence that they deserve!

Growing Food Without a Plow

Ever since I was a wee child, we have had gardens. Not every year, though. We'd have them for a couple of years and then need a couple more years to sufficiently forget about things like weeds with taproots, bugs, blossom-end rot, dragging heavy hoses, gnats, and vine borers. Growing vegetables is a lot of work. I may have mentioned that in my high school yearbook, the 10-year prediction listed for me was, "still trying to find ways to get out of work." It took me about 5 of those years to figure out that it isn't a bad thing to find easier ways to do things. I choose to believe it was written as a compliment. This explains my love of wildcrafting or foraging. How much easier is it to take the colander out into the yard and pick nutritious wild greens, than it is to clear space in the garden, plant, weed, protect from roving bunnies and groundhogs, water....? Well, you get my drift. Over the past 20 years I've studied and worked to identify and taste the wild vegetables, fruits and roots that can be eaten in place of the ones most often domesticated and grown commercially or in the backyard. Many of them are either escaped from colonial gardens or are feral cousins of something we eat everyday. Some of them just proved to be too much trouble for the average Joe. For instance, the current grain craze, quinoa is closely related to lambsquarters. In the meantime, after moving to the farm several years ago, I set about adding edibility to the landscape here. Hardy figs, currants, and elderberries were some of the first plants to go in. Bob caught the bug and added some sweet cherries, pears, and hazelnuts (we have wild cherries and tons of black walnuts in the woods naturally) and sugar maples. I keep adding - Jerusalem artichokes, serviceberry, gooseberries, horseradish, blueberries, and finally this week persimmon and sour cherries, with some goji berries still on the way. This is my goal, you see. Lots of food bearing, perennial plants that require very little work or attention. At the same time, in addition to all the wild herbal medicines growing here, we've gradually added lots and lots of perennials that have taken and are colonizing. On the acreage here, there are many different miniature environs - a meadow, woods, swamp, and typical "yard". If it can survive our zone, we have a place for it. The point of this post is really to try to remind people that as they choose plants, whether they be for vast acreage or a potted shrub to guard their urban doorway, try to choose something that earns its way wither by providing food or medicine. Beauty is valuable too, but it feels like at this time we should be more utilitarian until we are feeling more secure. It feels good to me to know that there is food everywhere I look outside, and it requires no work. Sure, I'll throw in some tomatoes, peppers, beans, and cukes this summer. Mostly I'll purchase my veggies from a farmers market. Still I really encourage everyone to learn ONE wild edible this year. Just one. Here are some good options to learn: garlic mustard, chickweed, violet leaves, violets, mustards, cresses, dandelion, black raspberries, wineberries, and lambsquarters. There are many many more, but that could give you something to think about if you've never tried anything wild.

Gathering Resin

It was a gorgeous day today. Our first day to hit 70 degrees. Looks like tomorrow might bring rain, plus I have lots of work to do on the May/June issue of The Essential Herbal Magazine before we mail it out on Friday, so I was dying to get into the woods and see what was popping up. Learned a couple of things.... #1 I need some good shoes for climbing the other side of the creek, and #2 there are ticks out there. I rarely go on the other side of the creek. Neither do the guinea fowl. There are deer ticks over there, and I was on the deer trail. Ick. Aside from that, though. It was beautiful. In my backyard, the violets are starting to open. They seem a little early. Usually we make violet syrup or jelly towards the end of April, but it is nice to see them! Walking down the hill, the catkins are out on the hazelnut trees. They are full of them, and there are tassel-y places along the stems where the leaves are about to pop out. Hazel trees are really stunning and unusual. Just gorgeous. We came upon the star magnolia, which is going to burst into bloom this week. The fuzzy little buds are cracking open and the creamy white blossoms are beginning to unfurl. All along the pathway through the woods, you will find dainty spicebush with tiny yellow blossoms. The leaves haven't even begun to show. The leaves and wood are so fragrant. Another thing that is everywhere is jewelweed. There will be acres of the juicy stalks and ours bloom orange. We cut and process quite a bit so that we'll have jewelweed soap throughout the year. The patches of ramps on either side of the creek are slowly expanding. It is my hope that the water will carry seed along and the ramps will line the far side of the creekbed. That will be long after I'm gone, though. Skunk cabbage is blooming. They are such a beautiful plant. Their lush leaves are so welcome in the spring, and their blooms are so peculiar that they are fascinating. The other day I read that skunk cabbage is one of the only plants to create warmth, allowing them to thaw the earth that surrounds them (I apologize that I cannot remember where that came from, because it would be great if I could give you the link). BUT THEN... We got to the top of the hill and walked along through the conifers planted in neat rows. I'm not sure how we noticed, but suddenly we saw the drops of resin that has been curing over the winter, ever since the trees were trimmed last year as soon as they were finished candling.The resin was as dry as frankincense tears one might purchase. I am an absolute resin freak, with a pretty large collection of incenses and resins. We've collected them since writing our book on making incense in 1999. I cannot believe that in the 20 some years that this tree farm has been in the family, I've never noticed this. As I gathered these pinhead sized bits of gold, the rich, almost fruity pine fragrance was intoxicating. It made it very easy to see how a resin could be considered a gift of great enough value for kings to give as a gift to a messiah. Today I gather scotch pine. I can't wait to see if there is resin on the balsam or concolor or spruce or.... any of the others. It is heavenly!

Birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees

This time of year in the natural world is downright sexy, isn't it? The birds have been bonkers for a few weeks now, doing their mating dances, building nests, and hooking up on any branch or ledge that presents itself, even apparently mid-air on occasion. The fish congregate in wild group dances, thrashing and .... well, I'm sure they're just greeting their old friends after a long cold winter (uh huh). The bunnies are playing spirited games of "catch me" in the back yard, and lusty individuals of many species bellow and call, roam and search to relieve this craziness we gently call Spring Fever. Each morning I throw open the windows to the world's greatest singles' bar. The racket goes on all night long. The plant world is having a party too. The amazing things plants do to lure in pollinators is enough to make a girl blush! It isn't so different than what the animals do, displaying colors and shapes that will draw the missing piece to their reproductive puzzle running (or flying) to them. So in the Spring, I feel a little voyeuristic watching things unfold while at the same time loving the intriguing language of the plants. I once wore a silk dress the exact shade of this wild mustard to an outdoor wedding. Within moments of arriving, it became clear that bugs of all sizes and shapes had designs on me, and nothing I did was going to deter them. Word to the wise - avoid this color for outdoor parties. Bonus points for silken finishes on the fabric. Some people think I have "a dirty mind" but that really isn't altogether true. At least in my opinion. I think, "geez, people, look around!" Happy Spring, everyone!

Blend Your Own Herbal Teas

In my first spring and summer of seriously learning about foraging and wild crafting, I made a wonderful tea blend. While wandering through field, stream, woods, and mountainside, I would gather handfuls of different plants. After researching to be sure of their identity and properties, they would be dried on a screen and added to a large glass jar. Now this particular jar of tea was truly wonderful. There were the usual suspects, of course ….peppermint, chamomile, and leaves from strawberry and red raspberry. As the herb garden grew, a few leaves of sage, a sprig or two of thyme, basil, rosemary, lemon balm, lemon verbena, and comfrey found their way into the jar. Violets and their foliage went in, as did the beautiful wild roses, elderflower and honeysuckle blossoms. As the bee balm began to bloom, a few heads were dried for the tea jar. Dried nettles and cleavers and Echinacea leaves became part of the tea, and then some wonderful spices – star anise, ginger root, cardamom seed, cinnamon bark. Mid summer, raspberries, elderberries and blueberries were added along with gooseberry leaves. In the late part of the summer, I found and added rose hips. Eventually I wound up with a gallon jar of really gorgeous dried botanicals. Each cup was completely different- in color, flavor, and scent. We had stevia and licorice root sticks on hand for sweetening, and for that winter, friends visiting our home would look forward to a cup of that special tea – always a surprise, always delicious. It was great fun creating that blend, and it was also a time of learning. By the end of that year, it was clear that it is very difficult to make a bad cup of herbal tea, and “simple” to make a fabulous blend. The purpose of telling this story is to encourage you to try making some blends of your own. Making teas with herbs has always been a part of the human culture. The folkloric use of herb teas is easy to find, and in this part of the country, still passed on from mother to daughter. Peppermint tea for upset stomachs, catnip and fennel to help the nursing mother, valerian root tea for sleeplessness, horehound or mullein for coughs, feverfew for migraines, sage tea for night sweats, ginger tea for morning sickness, slippery elm bark or marshmallow root for any digestive problem from lips to anus, chamomile for just about anything, St. John’s wort for the blues, and the list goes on and on. We used these plants for centuries. Now there are warnings and issues of drug interactions and this or that might be a carcinogen. Comfrey is a wonderful healing plant, but it is labeled as dangerous – the active ingredient allantoin may cause tumors in lab rats if taken in huge quantities. Ephedra was almost magical in helping people with asthma, but it has now been removed from shelves because some people used it to create an amphetamine-like product. Kava will probably be next. St John’s wort is hanging in there for now, but use is discouraged because it will interact with some pharmaceuticals. So does grapefruit, by the way….. Our advice? Use all things in moderation.