It's an ugly root, but somebody's got to grate it

Baltimore is home to one of the nation's largest commercial horseradish packers, Tulkoff Products Co. In a telephone converastion, Lee Rome, the CEO of Tulkoff's, agreed that some roots are hotter than others and said it was common to make horseradish from a variety of roots. At Tulkoff's East Baltimore plant, the fiery roots of horseradish plants grown in Northern California are sometimes blended with the sweeter roots of Southern Illinois horseradish plants, he said. Rome, the horseradish hotshot, told me that if I wanted to make a good sauce, I needed some spicier roots.

Mercier, in the Lexington Market, told me not to be discouraged with my bland harvest. The horseradish plants will be back next year, he said. As a matter of fact, it is very hard to get rid of them, he added.

A few years ago, he put some horseradish plants in the back yard of his Catonsville home. He, like I, got a disappointing harvest. He thought he might grate those home-grown roots at his Lexington Market business. But they were so mild, and so skinny, that he decided to stick to his old supplier, who ships him fat, fiery roots grown in the Midwest.

Mercier dug up all the horseradish plants from his back yard and tossed them in a wooded area behind his house. The horseradish took root back there, and came back, year after year after year, Mercier said.

The only thing that could stop them was a subdivision. "They built some houses in those woods," Mercier said. "And that was the end of the horseradish."

Pub Date: 11/10/96