DEAR SUN SPOTS: I’m hoping you can help us. We have made horseradish a few times. We use white vinegar and lemon juice, and put it in a cool dark place. After a couple weeks it turns brown. Is there any way to keep it from turning? Thanks. — D. and C. Allen, West Farmington

ANSWER: Sun Spots didn’t find an exact answer for your problem online, but she did find some things that might be at the “root” of your trouble.

* All of the recipes she read said that the horseradish should be stored in the refrigerator, which is also where you find it in the store.

* The recipes called for vinegar or lemon juice, not both. Perhaps they are interacting?

* Exposure to air will turn horseradish brown. Process it quickly.

There are some terrific websites and videos explaining the process online. You might want to visit your library and check out http://simplyrecipes.com/.

Readers will also undoubtedly have tips.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: As a fellow fruit lover, I hope I can help your reader from Greene who would like to have edible peaches and pears (Jan. 12). I, too, have rarely gotten a peach bought in Maine to ripen properly. They almost always go from hard to mealy and soft.

I have given up on having a proper peach from a New England grocery store, although early in the season I can sometimes get a nectarine to ripen well. I agree with Sun Spots that this is probably a fruit that just doesn’t ripen well after being picked at the green stage. Hold out for a local peach in late summer!

Instead of peaches, you might want to try mangoes. They are ripe when pretty soft, just before the skin starts to wrinkle. You can even cook with them like peaches. Fantastic.

Pears are another story. I suspect that Greene Fruit is waiting too long, and letting them get overripe. A ripe pear will still be firm around the middle, but just yield to gentle pressure right next to the stem when ready to eat. Check them often as they can go past the ideal stage quickly.

As far as the paper bag goes, I would suggest not bothering. Many kinds of fruit (including peaches, pears, apples and bananas) naturally give off ethylene gas as they ripen (this gas is not toxic to us). Putting them in an enclosed space, like a bag, will increase the concentration of ethylene and hasten ripening.

Putting several fruits in the bag together, as in adding an apple, will also do this. In fact, bananas, which are picked totally green for travel, are put in holding rooms and exposed to ethylene to start their ripening process before they are displayed for sale.

My feeling is that by using the paper bag, you run the risk of ripening your fruit too quickly, as well as hiding it from view! So I ripen my fruit where I can see it and check it often. (One exception: putting an almost-ripe avocado in the fridge will keep it from getting brown spots for a week.) — Kat Coriell, Durham, [email protected]

ANSWER: Sun Spots appreciates your tips. There are several sites online that recommend putting apples with other fruit or potatoes for ripening or storage, but deeper research rejects that notion in most cases, especially with potatoes, as the gas will encourage the potatoes to sprout.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: First of all, thank you for a great column. I look forward to reading it each and every day. I am investigating the possibility of starting a support group for people who have undergone weight loss surgery in either the Farmington or Rumford area. If you are interested, please contact me. Thanks. — Debbie Smith, Weld, [email protected]

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