The "A Lancaster County Tradition & Landmark" Story

Kathleen Stoltzfus grinds horseradish root at her market stand.

It was an ordinary day.  Standing with camera in hand in front of Long's Horseradish stand which is located in Lancaster's historic Central Market.  My eyes are burning and watering from the aroma of the horseradish as it is being ground directly in front of me by the market stand's new owner, Kathleen Stoltzfus.  

Lancaster Newspaper photo of Michael Long packaging
freshly ground horseradish at his stand in Central Market.

Michael Long recently sold the 117-year-old business to Stoltzfus after running the stand since 1991 after taking it over from his father Charles Long.  Charles' great-grandfather immigrated from Germany in the late 1800's and sold vegetables and horseradish at an outdoor market in downtown Lancaster before the market house was built in 1889.  The family still holds the right to purchase the stand back from Kathleen if she ever decides to give it up in the future.  

View from the balcony at one end of Central Market in downtown Lancaster, PA

Kathleen is no stranger to market, since she sold micro greens, vegetables, organic eggs and other products at Tulip Tree Farm stand.  Most every time I visit Central Market I reminisce about the smell of horseradish having experienced it since my mother took me to market for the first time over 70 years ago when I was a child living about half-a-mile from market on South Prince Street.  

Kathleen removes the small drawer under the grinder
to remove the ground horseradish.

The smell of the freshly ground horseradish also made my eyes burn and water back then.  But, I still find it interesting to watch how they take the peeled horseradish root and grind it so that it falls into a small drawer-like compartment under the grinding wheel before being reclaimed into a container and packaged in small jars and labeled for sale.  Kathleen told me today that she usually grinds about 50 pounds before the market day is over on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.  

Jars of horseradish for sale at Long's Horseradish stand.

The pungent odor surrounding the market stand is created by a simple fan that blows the fumes away from the person grinding the root.  Kathleen told me that she gets her horseradish roots from the mid-western United States, since she likes the taste and smell of roots from that area of the country.  The ground horseradish is mixed with distilled vinegar and water to create the "sauce" that is packaged for sale.  I have eaten Long's Horseradish in the past and find it very tasty and it doesn't have as strong a smell as the root does when being ground.  

This shows what the horseradish root looks like before grinding.

Actually horseradish has many health benefits since it can aid in weight loss, lower blood pressure, alleviate respiratory conditions, build strong bones, improve the immune system, stimulate healthy digestion, promote heart health and lower the chances of neural tube defects in infants.  Perhaps one of the greatest advantages of using horseradish is it being able to reduce the risk of cancer due to its high levels of glucosinolates.  If you can stand the pungent odor, you may be able to strengthen your immune system by adding Long's Horseradish to your recipes.  So, if you live close by or are planning a trip to Central Market in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania, stop and buy a container and give it a try.  It was another day in the life of an ordinary guy.