Beets are either loved or hated by those who try them. I think they taste like sweet corn with a earthy bitter flavor. Like sweet corn, I like mine boiled and seasoned with butter and salt. One thing is for sure, fresh beets taste nothing like canned or pickled beets that you buy in the store.
Estimated Picking Dates: mid July to early August
Cleaning/Preparing: Wash beets before use, but not before storage unless plants are very dirty and wet! Trim tops off leaving about 1-2 inches of stalks on the root before attempting to wash. Scrub the roots in a bath of cold water or under running water. A veggie brush or Norwex veggie cloth works for this job. Wash the leaves separately as you would other salad greens.
Storage: Trim leaves from roots BEFORE storing. Leave about 1 inch of stems on roots. If you leave the leaves on the roots, the leaves will draw moisture from the roots causing them to wither and it is not possible to re-crisp a root vegetable like a salad green. Store in a loosely tied plastic bag (grocery bag with handles tied closed) in the refrigerator. Refrigerated beets should last at least 5 days. Store the leaves as you would other salad greens.
Preparing: Beets hold most of their flavor in the cooking process if they are not marred, peeled, or topped. Boil beets just as they are with 1 inch of stems and root still in place. If you remove the 1 inch of stems or the root, the beet with "bleed out." Beet peels are unpalatable. Peel with a butter knife or pairing knife after cooking. Peel with a peeler if using raw in a fresh salad or smoothie.
Featured Recipe: Root Veggie Smoothie
Other common uses: natural food coloring.
Watch "Beet It" episode of Good Eats with Alton Brown to learn other ways to prepare beets including pickled beets.
Substitutes: Beets are in a class all their own. Those who do not like beets, but want to try a dish that calls for beets may try to substitute the beets with red cabbage or radishes.
Cleaning/Preparing: Wash beets before use, but not before storage unless plants are very dirty and wet! Trim tops off leaving about 1-2 inches of stalks on the root before attempting to wash. Scrub the roots in a bath of cold water or under running water. A veggie brush or Norwex veggie cloth works for this job. Wash the leaves separately as you would other salad greens.
Storage: Trim leaves from roots BEFORE storing. Leave about 1 inch of stems on roots. If you leave the leaves on the roots, the leaves will draw moisture from the roots causing them to wither and it is not possible to re-crisp a root vegetable like a salad green. Store in a loosely tied plastic bag (grocery bag with handles tied closed) in the refrigerator. Refrigerated beets should last at least 5 days. Store the leaves as you would other salad greens.
Preparing: Beets hold most of their flavor in the cooking process if they are not marred, peeled, or topped. Boil beets just as they are with 1 inch of stems and root still in place. If you remove the 1 inch of stems or the root, the beet with "bleed out." Beet peels are unpalatable. Peel with a butter knife or pairing knife after cooking. Peel with a peeler if using raw in a fresh salad or smoothie.
Featured Recipe: Root Veggie Smoothie
Other common uses: natural food coloring.
Watch "Beet It" episode of Good Eats with Alton Brown to learn other ways to prepare beets including pickled beets.
Substitutes: Beets are in a class all their own. Those who do not like beets, but want to try a dish that calls for beets may try to substitute the beets with red cabbage or radishes.