Sure, you can buy prepared horseradish in a jar, but make this once and you will never use the supermarket stuff again.

When choosing these ugly, gnarly things, look for roots that are firm and not wrinkly.

If you’re making this for Passover, first take a few slices off an end of the root to display on the Seder plate.

My grandmothers used a box grater to grate the horseradish. If you want to go that route, I recommend wearing a gas mask.

If you have a food processor, I highly recommend using it.

Note that there are no amounts listed in the ingredients list. After grinding your horseradish you’ll measure how much you’ve got and adjust the amount of the other ingredients as needed.

freshly ground horseradish root.

Ingredients:

• fresh horseradish root (I usually buy two large roots)

• salt

• white sugar

• white vinegar

Method:

• Because they are so often oddly shaped, I find it easier to cut the roots into manageable pieces before peeling them with a vegetable peeler. Cut the peeled root into smallish pieces, rinse off any dirt, and place them in a food processor. Process until medium fine, then load it all into a big measuring cup to see how much you have.

• For each loosely packed cup, add ¼ cup white vinegar, 1 teaspoons salt, and 2-3 teaspoons sugar (to taste). Return it to the food processor and pulse until very fine. 

• If the prepared horseradish is so strong that you can barely stand to be in the same room with it, let it sit in an open bowl for a while until it looses some of its intensity, so that you can actually bear to eat it. Then, put it in a glass jar and store it in the refrigerator. It will lose some of its intensity as time passes.

  Option: Take half of the prepared horseradish and add a little beet juice to it - you can use the liquid from canned beets - for additional flavor and a lovely color. At the table, you can serve both the white and the red.