Beets

blacbird

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This is a thread aimed at gardeners, as well as people who like fresh veggies. Many people who dislike beets (the roots, known in the UK as beetroot) hate them more because of the intense purple color than because of any flavor problem. Or, as likely, they are taught to hate beets by being forced as children to eat canned diced beets, which are an abomination to God. Fresh beets are just plain excellent, and easy to use, and if you detest the color, and the juice, which will color any other food cooked with them, you need to try golden beets, of which there are several varieties (one simply called Golden Beet, another Yellow Detroit). These are a rich yellow color and do not bleed that color all over everything else. They are excellent in stews and soups, as well as by themselves.

As a particular treat for gardeners, see if you can get seeds for Mangel beets. This is an ancient heirloom variety, with yellow skin, but snow-white on the inside. And they will grow to fairly large sizes without getting woody. I had superb results growing these last year, but have been unable to get seeds this year, dammit.

Aside from the roots, beet greens are just plain excellent in salads, or cooked as any other green. They retain firmness, as opposed to things like spinach, which turn into slime if you cook them very long. And are wonderfully nutritious. Swiss chard is nothing more than a variety of beet grown for greens and stems instead of roots. The native plant, which grows in northwestern Europe, is a seaside plant, and I've read it responds well in soil treated with a little pinch of salt, though I haven't tried that. It's also a cool-weather vegetable, so if you live somewhere near the planet Mercury, say in south Texas, etc., it might not do well for you. But in the northeast or northwest, it should be a must for any veg garden.

caw
 
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kikazaru

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I love beets.

I don't do anything fancy to them - other than wash, slice in half (I don't even peel them) toss in oil and bake them. These are the first to go at dinner and both my kids love them.My daughter has been known to eat an entire jar of home made pickled beets at one sitting.

The only problem with planting them (indeed anything other than hemlock) is that the deer eat them all. After planting, and nurturing so tenderly last year the &^%$# deer ate every last blessed one- along with my carrots. The farmers market made a killing off of me.
 

Ken

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... bless you for posting something on this message board that is healthy to eat for a change instead of the usual AW fare consisting of something laden with cholesterol and fat, capable of giving one health problems in seconds flat.

You mean, the good stuff?

... unfortunately so :-(
 
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Haggis

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... bless you for posting something on this message board that is healthy to eat for a change instead of the usual AW fare consisting of something laden with cholesterol and fat, capable of giving one health problems in seconds flat.

You mean, the good stuff?
 

Haggis

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I've actually thought about giving beets one more try. I'm one of those folks Blacbird described who grew up with pickled beets and I totally detested them (although I love beet greens).

So how do you prepare them? Any recommendations other than baked, as kikazaru described?
 

BardSkye

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My 15 year old puppy steals beets out of the garden before I can get to them most times. He likes his with a side of dirt.

My dad grows beets every year to can. When he's serving them fresh he steams them. A dab of butter, a dash of salt and pepper and they're done. Delicious.

Beet greens also make an interesting variant of cabbage rolls. Using the beet greens instead of cabbage is a little more work as the rolls turn out tiny, but they add an exotic, almost wild flavour to the rolls.
 

blacbird

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So how do you prepare them? Any recommendations other than baked, as kikazaru described?

I usually do them waaaay simple. Sliced, microwaved, with a dab of butter (optional). Your microwave is actually a very good way of cooking fresh veggie stuff, and with beets it works just great. They only caveat is that beets contain an amazing amount of juice, and are prone to splatter that about when cooked in this manner. But it's also fairly easy to clean simply with water. Again, the yellow and white varieties are less of a problem in this way than the purple ones are, but I grow all of them.

With the non-purple ones, I also use them in crockpot roast+vegetable concoctions, along with other rooty vegs like carrots, potatoes, kohlrabi, rutabaga, parsnip, etc.

As for the greens, either from beets or chard, I often make a straight salad with them, and may or may not add other greens to it. For cooking, steaming works fine, and I commonly lay them over some sauteed mushrooms and onions cover the pan for about five minutes, heat off, to steam.

caw
 

MaryMumsy

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I love beets. Steamed, baked, pickled. But I don't cook them. I buy the canned ones (heresy, I know), chill them, drain off the juice, and sprinkle a little balsalmic vinegar on them. And I love to find a salad bar with beets as a choice.

MM
 

blacbird

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I love beets. Steamed, baked, pickled. But I don't cook them. I buy the canned ones (heresy, I know), chill them, drain off the juice, and sprinkle a little balsalmic vinegar on them. And I love to find a salad bar with beets as a choice.

MM

You do realize that both the canned beets and the salad bar beets are pre-cooked, right?

caw
 

MaryMumsy

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You do realize that both the canned beets and the salad bar beets are pre-cooked, right?

caw

Yes, I know they are both cooked. I mean that I, personally in my own kitchen, do not cook them. :)

MM
 

GeorgeK

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They'll be better if you cook them whole with a little bit of the stem still on (steamed until you can insert a knife easily). Remove them from heat and allow to cool until warm. Then peel and eat. They don't need anything like butter or seasoning if you don't make them bleed out by cutting prior to cooking. The same goes for squash. Cook it whole.
 

Deleted member 42

Anyone tried the so-called "Golden" beets--they range in color from pale golden yellow to almost Pumpkin orange.

And I'm curious about them.
 

Deleted member 42

Again, the yellow and white varieties are less of a problem in this way than the purple ones are, but I grow all of them.

I've had the white ones, but not the yellow ones; any difference in taste?
 

fringle

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Many people who dislike beets (the roots, known in the UK as beetroot) hate them more because of the intense purple color than because of any flavor problem.
My friend's mother has a beet phobia. I'm not joking. She's actually afraid of them because of the color. She won't even shop the veggie section of the grocery for fear of running across a leaky beet.
 

blacbird

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I've had the white ones, but not the yellow ones; any difference in taste?

Not that I've noticed. In fact, to me, most beets taste pretty much alike. Texture is another matter, although that's largely determined by size. If you let 'em get too big, the get tough and woody.

And the two varieties of yellow beets I've grown (golden and yellow Detroit) both were interchangeably excellent.

caw
 

threedogpeople

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I created a pantry salad one night when I didn't have (much) fresh stuff for a salad.

2 cans drained, rinsed, quartered or sliced canned beets (use 3 cups fresh steamed if you have them)

2 cups corn (canned & drained) or frozen or fresh

1/2 cup sliced green onions (more or less)

1 can drained, rinsed kidney beans

1 can small, whole, pitted black olives

1 cup of Italian salad dressing (or make your own oil and vinegar dressing)

2 teaspoons sugar

Mix & let sit refrigerated at least an hour.
 

DragonHeart

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I'm one of those crazy kids who actually liked the canned beets. Unfortunately only my mom and I seem to like them so she never made them very often--still doesn't. When she does, she just throws 'em in a pan, doesn't do anything fancy. I don't believe I've ever seen, much less eaten the greens.

This thread is making me curious as to what I may be missing, though. Maybe I'll see if I can find some seeds somewhere to give it a try.
 

Sarita

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I love beets. Beets. Beets. Beets. I could eat them every day.

Haggis- Try roasting them (I quarter the bigger ones and leave smaller ones whole) with a touch of balsamic, salt, and pepper. They are SO good. I'm also a HUGE fan of Borscht, which I make w/o the beef stock, but it's good either way.

Mmmmm, beets!!!
 

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I love beets, and beet greens, and am contemplating trying to make borscht; I've never had it.
 

Sarita

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For my borscht, I use extra fancy old balsamic to drizzle on top of the sour cream dollop before serving. Mmmm, beets. Want me to find my recipe?

Reading Jitterbug Perfume just increased my love for them. I think I have to re-read!
 
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One of my favorite soups is borscht. I make a warm beef borscht in the winter and a cold vegetarian borscht in the summer.

I grew beets in my garden a year ago last spring. It was my first successful crop of this vegetable. They were small but usable.

A simple salad dressing I invented is to mix minced pickled beets with mayo. Strange as it may seem, it tastes exactly like Thousand Island.
 

blacbird

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I was with you here... and then you talked about beets. You lost me.

What do purple geletin-like cubes that taste horrible have to do with either gardening or veggies?

A summary, as you obviously didn't read the thread:

A. Get the non-purple ones, as I suggested.

B. Fresh beets do not resemble gelatin, unless you boil them for a couple of hours. Canned beets, as I also said, are an abomination to God.

C. Fresh beets also do not taste like canned beets, but the taste preference for anything is in the tongue of the devourer.

D. And the fresh greens are among the best leafy vegetation you can eat, in a variety of ways.

caw
 

Deleted member 42

For my borscht, I use extra fancy old balsamic to drizzle on top of the sour cream dollop before serving. Mmmm, beets. Want me to find my recipe?

YES! That would be lovely.

Thanks!
 

MaryMumsy

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Last night I was watching 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives' on the food channel. They were in, I think, Albuquerque. And this place had whole roasted beets (about the size of a softball) which had been hollowed out and filled with ?? (I didn't catch that part). An alternative to serving soup or stew in a bread bowl, a beet bowl.

MM