Note from Cheri: Like most plants, there are two sides to horseradish: the culinary and the medicinal. For centuries people have used plants and herbs of all sorts for their apparent health giving quailities. How convenient that something so healthy can also add so much flavor to our daily diets. To explore the two sides of horseradish, we've enlisted the help of Brenda Hyde, editor of SeedsOfKnowledge.com, a website dedicated to creating and sharing family memories, and Lucinda Jenkins, editor of GlenbrookFarm.com, a comprehensive herbal website. I've filled this article out with some recipes from right here at FabulousFoods.com, so you can experiment with the distinctive flavor of horseradish yourself.

Recipes Using Horseradish Homemade Prepared Horseradish Sour Cream Horseradish Sauce Creamy Cucumbers with Horseradish Lamb Steaks with Horseradish Mint Sauce Corned Beef & Cabbage with Horseradish Sauce Broccoli with Horseradish Sauce Best Fat-Free Mashed Potatoes Smoked Salmon & Horseradish Dip Smoked Ham with Cranberry Chutney Pale Green Spring Salad with Lime Vinaigrette Salmagundi Salad Glenbrook Farms Herbs and Such -- Your on line source for bulk herbs and spices. Get just what you need from one ounce to several pounds.

The Culinary Side of Horseradish By Brenda Hyde There is no other taste comparable to horseradish. It's hot spicy flavor is hard to describe. A member of the mustard family, horseradish was known to the Greeks as wild radish. It wasn't used for cooking until the 17th century. The horseradish root is harvested late in the fall because it does most of it's growing late in the summer. Once started with root cuttings it may later become a pest in your garden if not harvested yearly. Horseradish is available in the produce sections of most supermarkets, and one root goes a long way because it is so pungent. Grate the root and it can be kept in the refrigerator for about 2 months, or you can freeze it for up to 6 months. Since horseradish is so strong, be sure to experiment and use small amounts, tasting the recipe as you go. It can be added with mustard to use on hotdogs or sausages. It's traditional to mix with sour cream and serve with roast beef, but you can offer this combination on the side with grilled pork or steak also. Grate a small amount into potato salad dressings, your favorite chip dip or coleslaw for a change too. Try adding a tablespoon of prepared horseradish, sour cream and butter to mashed potatoes. Whether you buy prepared horseradish or the root, be sure to give it a try!

The Medicinal Side of Horseradish By Lucinda Jenkins WOW! Anything as strong as horseradish has got to cure something! Upon further investigation on this hunch I found that I wasn't too far from the truth. According to Oklahoma State University food chemist Brian Shofran, horseradish contains a pungent chemical called ally isothiocyanate which can knock the wind out of Listeria and E. Coli and staphylococcus and other contaminating food pathogens. Likewise, putting horseradish sauce on you beef sandwich is actually a very good idea. Since horseradish can cause the sinus to run and the eyes to water it can be considered a cleansing herb. It also has diuretic properties helping to stimulate the kidneys. History records horseradish as a treatment for TB and as an aphrodisiac, (guess it heats all kinds of things up!) and for killing internal worms and parasites. Horseradish is also considered a stimulate because it does aid in circulation and is also called a rubefacient, which means when applied to the skin it will turn red. The horseradish has stimulated the blood vessels causing the redness. This property is important when trying to heal pain. Horseradish is best used raw or cooked with little heat because high heat destroys its healing properties.