Grinding Day

Yeah, the roads were pretty bad. As a matter of fact, they’re predicted to get worse… But that is another story.

Today we had the big gathering of family and what fun it was! All of my siblings were there, we had aunts and uncles, cousins, parents, miscellaneous others… it was a packed house. And by that I do mean that the house was packed.

The weather outside was way too cold to peel and grind outside! So we turned the basement into a grinding station. We had a couple tables set-up as peeling stations and made it through the seven buckets of roots in only a few hours. Yes, I Said “few” – my aunt Judy and uncle Gene showed-up with a bucket of horseradish roots to add to those we’d already had.

We had to open the basement door and exhaust the acids from the roots we were cleaning and peeling or we would have all been bloodshot for weeks! So it was a bit brisk, but that is what the Schnapps is for!

Those of us not actively involved in peeling were actively involved in keeping the kids entertained… or doing other jobs required for getting dinner ready. There was a huge crowd to feed, you know!

My camera made the rounds and captured people cleaning, peeling, and playing. It even caught me when my Dad and I headed out to the garage for the grinding and preparing station.

Once most of the roots were ready, Dad came out and helped get the roots sliced into chunks that the processor could chop to the right consistency, and I stood over the processor most of the time grinding and pickling.

Afterward, it was a wonderful afternoon of cards, conversation, and catching-up with the family. In the end we had two huge roasting pans of horseradish to divvy-up between us. What a great day! What fun seeing the family again! What a pain that I have to leave.

If the weather report is right, I have to get moving or I will not be in Denver any time next week. There is a storm blowing out of Denver to the northeast that may be a pain to deal with. So I had best put an end to writing and get the car parked.

Wherever you are today, I hope that you’ve had a great day and that you have spent it with family.

Don Bergquist – October 11, 2009 – Kensington, Minnesota, USA