WASHINGTON — Jason Gold was in a tizzy. He was peeling a huge horseradish root, but it didn’t seem fresh, which led him to question whether it had been kept cold at the supermarket.

“Milk can be only a few days out of the cow and goes bad if it isn’t kept refrigerated,” he said. “Same with horseradish.”

He started peeling, grating and smelling, while his wife, Margi, covered her eyes to protect them from the fumes. He smiled and breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that the root was fine after all. “If it makes you cry, it is strong,” he said, with a satisfied smile.

His grandparents, Hyman and Tillie Gold, founded the company Gold’s , which grew into a national brand on the strength of its prepared horseradish, a condiment made by combining the root with vinegar and salt. Mr. Gold, 63, has been using Tillie’s recipe for it all his life.