ARLINGTON, Minn. -- For the Kreft family in Arlington, Minnesota, there's plenty of horsing around when it comes to tradition. With horseradish, that is.
For the past 50 years, family members and friends have been getting together for a rite of passage that has become known as "The Grind."
In the early years, the Grind produced dozens of jars of fresh, hot, spicy horseradish. The new record is 522 jars.
The Grind is a 3-4 hour event full of fun, longstanding traditions and highly potent smells. Each person who participates has a specific task, including peeling, grinding, mixing and jarring.
Arden Kreft, who served as the mayor of Arlington for 24 years, guarded the family's secret recipe for decades. But when he was in the hospital a few years ago during the Grind, he finally divulged the recipe to his sons.
Arden passed away in August, but his daughter, six sons and 14 grandchildren are carrying on the tradition of the Grind and honoring his memory.
