Horseradish harvesting ?

I have a couple healthy horseradish which I was planning to harvest last fall after a hard frost, but then the freeze that did come was like granite and I couldn't dig them up. They quickly became out of sight, out of mind. I'm now cleaning up my herb garden and here are my horseradishes just poking up out of the ground. I'm wondering if I could harvest the roots now, and replant the babies? Or they may be mushy?

Hope remains eternal. LOL

bonehead, if you find out I'd like to know, I didn't have much luck with it. it wasn't hot like it was supposed to be. I wonder if it was the wrong time of year. I dug it up in sept. Jim

OK, horseradish. Once you have it in the ground, it is there eternally. You certainly can harvest it now, and replant the babies, but it will resprout anyway from any tiny bit of root left in the ground.

As for hotness, that depends on your processing of it. www.globalgourmet.com says it better than I can:

"The sharp and piquant flavor and the penetrating smell of horseradish become apparent when the root is grated or ground. This is because the root contains highly volatile oils which are released by enzyme activity when the root cells are crushed. In processed horseradish, vinegar stops this reaction and stabilizes the flavor. So the degree of heat is determined by when the vinegar is added to the fresh horseradish. For milder horseradish, the vinegar is added immediately. If exposed to air or stored improperly, horseradish loses its pungency rapidly after grinding. Fresh horseradish also loses flavor as it cooks, so it is best added towards the end of a dish when cooking."

I planted mine in a container & was advised to let it grow for a couple years before harvesting.
I was also told the same info as SK has posted.

It's so foolproof. So it's a satisfying plant to grow, and actually pretty -- the leaves are huge & there are tiny brief blooms.

I grow mine in a HUGE old black trash barrel where it can be contained but, more important, grows well & is easily harvested: I simply tip the barrel over, get all the horseradish, and tip it back up, fill it with new compost.