I was mowing the other day & noticed that our horseradish plant is coming up fast, fast....and our currant bushes have SO many blossoms on them.

My questions is:

Does anyone have any recipes or ideas for canning/freezing/drying, etc....horseradish or currants?

Our horseradish plant is several years old & does really well, but we have never used it much.

We have 2 currant bushes (one white, one red) and have never used them. They are also several years old. I hate to see the berries go to waste. Can I use the berries interchangeably in recipes/jams (red & white)?

THANKS for any tips or ideas! ;)

-- heather (h.m.metheny@att.net), May 07, 2002

Answers

NEVER USED THEM! arrg!" don't know what you have 'till it's gone..." & i bet the local songbirds love y'all for it! down here abouts currant bushes shrivel up or mold away. i have not tried freezing them but would it be the same as bluberries? ->wash & freeze w/ the rinse water still on them?

currents are soo tasty dried [spread one layer of berries on a cookie sheet in an oven on low low heat 'till dried] [or on cookie sheet in a car parked in the sun 'till dried][also ask around if anyone has a dehidrator they would loan you.] & used any way that you would use rasins, or eaten out of hand.

and of couse there is the pick 'em & ship them off to your dear southern friends on the forum method to avoid 'waste'.

-- bj pepper ,in central MS. (pepper.pepper@excite.com), May 07, 2002.

BJ you call yourself a southerner? Round here we put the stuff to be dried on old cookie sheets and place them in the dashboard of several of Grandaddy's old farm trucks and let the sun bake them. No electricity. Cant beat that! Doesn't everybody have a couple old vehicles on the farm just taking up space?

-- Ann Markson in S. Mid TN (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), May 07, 2002.

What about a currant/horseradish chutney? excepting that you're supposed to dig horseradish after it frosts....

-- Gailann Schrader (gtschrader@aol.com), May 07, 2002.

Horseradish is easy, grind, cover with white vinegar. I have new currant bushes but had enough to make crisp last year. I plan on making a jam when I have more.

-- DW (djwallace@ctos.com), May 07, 2002.

of course you could always offer to split roots with some avid gardeners:) horseradish , i dont know if anyone else has this problem , but when i grind a lot of it to freeze or can i get , well... lets call it stomach ills... so i tend not to plant it , but oh whati wouldnt give for some now.. horseadish and onion sandwich to help clear my nose and head from this darn cold... currants, jams , jellies, preserves...dried currant rasiins, currant syrup for pancakes....

Melon and Currant Chutney makes about 3 cups

2 medium onions, chopped 1 cup currants 2 cups tightly packed brown sugar 2 cups cider vinegar 1 teaspoon pickling spice 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 4 cups cubed melon flesh (cantaloupe or Persian) Place all the ingredients except the melon in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, simmer for about 1 hour, or until thick. Stir in the melon and cook for another half hour. Let cool; store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

Pilaf with Currants and Cumin A great recipe for busy cooks. 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon cumin seed 1 cup long-grain basmati rice 1 tablespoon dried currants 2 cups water or 1 cup each water and chicken broth 1/2 teaspoon salt 1. Combine the olive oil and cumin seed in a large wide saucepan. Cook, stirring over low heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the rice and currants until coated. Add the water and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring once.

2. Cook, covered, over low heat until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 18 minutes. Do not stir or uncover during cooking. Let stand, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Correct seasonings and serve hot.

Makes 4 servings

Brunch Scones I enjoy scones with morning tea or just an afternoon snack. Serve warm with clotted cream and strawberry jam. Prep Time: approx. 20 Minutes. Cook Time: approx. 15 Minutes. Ready in: approx. 45 Minutes. Makes 8 servings. Printed from Allrecipes, Submitted by Bianca Elshafei --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 4 teaspoons baking powder 5 tablespoons unsalted butter 5 tablespoons white sugar 2/3 cup whole milk 1/2 cup currants 1 egg yolk, beaten

Directions 1 Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet or line with baking parchment. 2 Sift flour and baking powder into a medium bowl. Rub butter and sugar into flour to form a fine crumble. Make a well in center, and add milk and currants. Knead gently together, being careful not to over mix. Dough will be sticky. 3 On a generously floured surface, roll out dough to 3/4 inch thickness. Stamp out 2 1/2 inch rounds with a plain pastry cutter. Transfer to prepared pan, and brush tops with egg yolk. Allow to stand for 15 minutes. 4 Bake in preheated oven until risen and lightly golden on top, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool.

and would you believe ...... http://www.horseradish.org/ yep the horseradish council!!!!

-- Beth in ND (famvan@drtel.net), May 07, 2002.

ms. markson, why dear i did sugest the use of solar/dashboard drying, tho i don't reccomend bannanas , the smell lingers for weeks!

but i'm afraid you caught me out, i am one of those 'progressive' southerners, i had the sellers haul off all the truck & camaro & tractor chassis as part of the sale conditions of the house. :) [what i did not find 'till i moved in was the 2 garbage cans worth of blackened pots & pans that had been tossed out the back door. :0 ]

and ms. schrader, hush your mouth! horseradish & currents, too nasty a death for the poor currants let the birds have them instead!

-- bj pepper ,in central MS. (pepper.pepper@excite.com), May 08, 2002.

BJ: You call two cans of blackened pots a Blight? Why I'd call those interesting garden containers, seed starters, animal feeders and the like!

If you only knew what I was doing with late great uncles bowling balls:

http://community.webshots.com/photo/31431782/32674734peVArI or http://community.webshots.com/photo/31558443/36607808LfkuCs

These pictures, BTW come from my other favorite forum: the garden junk forum.

Sign me,

Never met a piece of junk I couldn't use

-- Ann Markson in S. Mid TN zone 5/6 right on the money (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), May 08, 2002.

Someplace here in Indiana (kitsch capital of the WORLD) there is a lawn ROSARY made out of bowling balls. I guess you can see it from a low flying airplane. I darn near peed myself when I saw this on the news. I laughed so hard. WOW. If that doesn't say "HURRY, JESUS!" I don't know what does...

-- Gailann Schrader (gtschrader@aol.com), May 08, 2002.

Don't believe anyone told you how to do the horseradish. Traditionally, you harvest it in months containing an "R" (just like eating oysters, but that's another story). Dig it up, cut off the root leaving enough to replant, scrub and peel the root (well scrub thoroughly; I don't necessarily peel it and you'll see why), grind and add enough white vinegar to cover. Refrigerated, it keeps a long time. Meanwhile, water the remaining, replanted cut-off top. I never dig all of it, against the chance that what's left to replant won't re-grow. Enjoy.

-- Rosalie (Dee) in IN (ibedee@juno.com), May 08, 2002.

don't tell me ms. markson, you covered yours in silver sequins??! ;) for a new take on the BORING OLD GAZING BALL? lol!

i have decrepit enamel kitchen & garden ware as my required 'rust' quotient in the perenial beds. but i don't like the look of plastic handles, so yup, i tossed most of the back door cookware, most was cleanable & went to goodwill, but a couple big pots did go to pig toys & waterers...

-- bj pepper ,in central MS. (pepper.pepper@excite.com), May 09, 2002.

Currants: "Joy of Cooking" has recipes for jelly (red/white/black)and sauce (for game/cold meat) and canning instructions.

Horseradish: Start celebrating Passover! :)

PS -- Keep your face far away from the HR after processing!

-- jollyapple (candedastoria@aol.com), May 10, 2002.