Beets Facts and Recipes

Here are some random yet interesting facts about beets

Beets

Ancient documents describe beets growing in the hanging gardens of Babylon around 800 BC.

Beets as we know them today are derived from wild sea beets that originated around the coasts of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

The Greeks originally only used the beet plants leaves as a medicinal culinary herb.

The Romans used both the leaves and the beetroot as medicines but also used the beetroot as a culinary herb.

A pigment called betalain is what gives red beets get their color.

The Romans considered beet juice to be an aphrodisiac.

Pickled beets are commonly put on hamburgers in Australia.

Homemade wine is sometimes made with beets..

Beet juice has been used as a natural red dye since the 16th century, .

About 100 pounds of sugar beets are required to make five pounds of sugar.

One cup of cooked diced beets contains 50 calories.

6 Amazing Beets Recipes

Beet Pancakes

1 cup minced cooked beets
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 egg yolks, beaten
3 tablespoons heavy cream – or – 3 tablespoons undiluted canned milk
½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon nutmeg
Fruit marmalade or preserves

Combine all ingredients, except marmalade. Cook as for pancakes in a hot buttered skillet. Serve with marmalade or preserves.

From www.justvegetablerecipes.com.

Mandarin Beet Salad

1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained, 2 tablespoons liquid from can reserved
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 cups sliced cooked beets
salt and freshly ground pepper

In a large bowl, whisk together mandarin orange liquid, vinegar oil and mustard. Add beets and drained oranges. Toss until coated. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serves 4.

From www.foodnetwork.com.

Beets & Red Cabbage

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
1 1/2 cup shredded cooked beets
1/3 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 10-inch skillet or Dutch oven moderate heat. Add cabbage. Sauté, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook covered, until tender, 10 minutes.

Serves 4.

From fooddownunder.com.

Pickled Beets

1½ pound beets
1 cup cider vinegar
½ cup beet water, reserved from cooking
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon mustard seed
½ teaspoon pickling spices
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar

Wash beets and scrub well. Cook in water to cover until tender. Drain, reserving ½ cup of cooking liquid. Slip off the skins and cut with a ridged vegetable cutter (or just slice). Bring the vinegar and beet water to a boil. Mix the spices, salt and sugar. Add to the vinegar and let boil again. Arrange the beets in clean canning jars. Add the hot vinegar mixture to cover the beets. Seal, cool and store in refrigerator. For longer shelf life, boil in hot water bath for 15 minutes.

Makes 2 pints.

From “Superbly Swedish: Recipes and Traditions,” 1983.

Beet Risotto

3 to 4 medium beets, washed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped fine
2 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
4 cups hot water
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Washed, chopped beet greens (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
6 tablespoons grated romano cheese

Preheat oven to 375F. Wrap beets in aluminum foil and place in a baking pan. Roast for 45 to 50 minutes, until beets are tender. Remove from oven and unwrap beets, allow to cool a bit, peel the skins away and dice the beets.

Heat oil in large saucepan, add the onion and garlic, sauté for 4 minutes. Add rice, 2 cups hot water, wine and dried seasonings. Cook uncovered over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in beets (along with optional beet greens, if desired), remaining 2 cups of hot water and parsley. Cook 10-12 minutes, continuing to stir until the rice is tender. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

Serves 4.

Adapted from Vegetarian Rice Cuisine by Jay Solomon.

Orange Pickled Beets

1 teaspoon orange zest
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 1/4 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 large beets (or equivalent), cooked and thinly sliced
3 large shallots, thinly sliced

Whisk zest, juice, oil, mustard, sugar, allspice, salt and pepper in a bowl until well-combined. Add beets and shallots; toss until vegetables are mixed and well-coated. Refrigerate at least 8 hours and up to 3 days before serving. To serve, mix well. Adjust seasoning. Serve chilled or at room temperature

Makes 2 cup

From “Chicago Tribune” August 7, 2005, courtesy of Abby Mandel.

For more recipes for beets see our previous post containing some beet salad recipes.

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Being a return visitor it would be helpful if you would leave a thoughtful comment below...Thanks, Jeanne

Four Amazing Beet Salad Recipes

The following beet salad recipes will give you some delicious beet salad options for using the beet harvest you worked so hard to produce.

Beet and Asian Pear Salad with Baby Greens

4 Trimmed beets (about 1 pound); scrubbed
1 Asian/Bartlett or Anjou pear
1 tb Apple jelly
2 ts Fresh lemon juice
1/2 ts Dijon mustard
1/4 lb Mixed baby greens; (about 4 cups loosely packed)
Garnish: chopped fresh chives

In a saucepan simmer beets in water to cover by 1 inch, covered, 40 minutes or until tender. Drain beets and cool. Beets may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

Peel beets and cut into 3/4-inch wedges. Peel and core pear and cut into 1/2-inch wedges. In a small saucepan heat jelly, lemon juice, and mustard over low heat, stirring, until blended and jelly is melted. In a bowl combine beets and pear with warm dressing, tossing to coat.

Divide greens among 4 salad plates and spoon beet mixture over them. Sprinkle salads with chives.

Serves 4

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Apple Beet Salad Recipe

4 Granny Smith apples — peeled, cored, and sliced
16 ounces julienne beets — drained
1/2 cup sliced radishes
1/4 cup diagonally sliced green onions
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Dash hot sauce (optional)

In large bowl, combine apples, beets, radishes, and green onions. In small bowl, vinegar, olive oil, sugar, allspice, salt, pepper, and, if desired, hot sauce; pour over apple mixture and toss well.

Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving

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Baked Beet Salad Recipe

1 lb Beets (6)
1 sm Spanish onion (4 oz)

Vinaigrette:
3 tb Vegetable oil
2 tb Cider vinegar
1 tb Fresh mint, chopped
1 ts Dijon mustard
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 ts Pepper

Remove stems and leaves from beets; wrap beets and onion separately in foil to make 2 packages. Bake in 350F 180C oven for about 1 hour or until vegetables are fork-tender.

Remove vegetables from foil; let stand for 15-20 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Loosen skins from vegetables; slice onion into strips and cube beets.

Vinaigrette: Meanwhile, in large bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, mint, mustard, salt and pepper.

Toss vegetables with vinaigrette: let stand at room temperature for 1 hour or up to 4 hours. Toss lightly before serving.

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Beet, Fennel and Watercress Salad

2 Beet bunches with tops
1/4 c Fresh lemon juice
1 tb Plus 1 teaspoon honey
1/2 c Olive oil
2 Watercress bunches; trimmed
2 Fennel bulbs; trimmed, cut into strips

Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut tops and root ends off beets. Wrap beets in aluminum foil and bake until tender, about 50 minutes. Cool slightly. Peel beets. Slice beets into rounds; stack rounds and cut into strips.

Combine fresh lemon juice and honey in small bowl. Gradually mix in olive oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. (Dressing can be prepared 1 day ahead. Wrap beets tightly and refrigerate. Cover dressing and let stand at room temperature.)

Place watercress in bowl and toss with enough dressing to coat. Arrange on platter. Top with fennel and then beets. Drizzle remaining dressing over.

6 servings

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Make sure to check out our other posts about beets…

Picking (harvesting) Beets

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Picking (harvesting) Beets

One of the best things about beets is that both the roots and the tops can be harvested. The tops can be used in salads, soups or just plain steamed the same manner as spinach or Swiss chard. Beets should be harvested when the roots are one to three inches in diameter. The smaller the root, the more tender they will be when eaten. Beet roots larger than 4 inches in diameter could very well be hard and woody. You can store beets by removing the tops to about 1 inch above the root and then placing them in plastic bags. This will help to keep them from dehydrating and becoming soft. Refrigerating them will help to extend freshness.

: Image via Wikipedia

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Big Fat Rabbit Ate Our Beet Tops

Big fat rabbit ate our beet tops

I went out to the garden this morning with my cup of coffee to do my morning walk through and found that what is certainly by now a big fat rabbit had eaten all of the beet tops right to the ground. Rather a depressing way to start the day for sure.

I knew we had some rabbits in the area but they always stayed away from the house which is where the beets are (were) growing. I guess the temptation was just too much.

A barrier will be going up today which will protect what is left including rows of carrots and spinach. With any luck the beets will regrow their tops and all will be ok.

I am pretty sure this is the offending rabbit?

: Image via Wikipedia

Planting and Growing Beets Fact Sheet

Growing beets is relatively easy for the home gardener and the fact that practically the whole plant can be eaten is a major bonus. Beets can be grown for their roots–which can come in different shapes and sizes as well as red, yellow or white colors. The tops or greens, when young, are excellent in salads and can be cooked when the plant is more mature. When growing beets remember that the greens are even more nutritious than the roots.

Climatic Requirements for Growing Beets:

Beets prefer a cooler climate, although they are tolerant of heat. Temperatures of 60 to 65 degrees F and bright sunny days are ideal for beet plant growth and development. Beets can withstand cold weather short of severe freezing, making them a good long-season crop.

Best Soils for Growing Beets:

Beets prefer loose, well-drained soils but will tolerate a wide range. Remove stones and debris which will hinder growth. Beets also make an excellent raised bed crop since soils are generally less compacted and there is less foot traffic. They prefer a pH of 6.2 to 6.8 and will tolerate 6.0 to 7.5–low soil pH results in stunted growth.

Fertilization When Growing Beets:

Fertilizers and lime are best applied using soil test results as a guide. A fertilizer with the analysis of 5-10-10 can be applied at the time of seeding and again when the plants are about three inches high.

Establishing Beets:

Plant the seeds in a well-prepared seedbed as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring. Sow the seeds 1/2-inch deep and in rows 12 to 18 inches or more apart depending on the method of cultivation.

Space the seeds, which are actually fruits containing several seeds, one inch apart in the rows. When the seedlings are one to two inches tall, thin to about one plant per inch. As they grow, thin to about three to four inches between plants.

Succession planting can be done at three week intervals throughout the season. Avoid seeding during daytime temperatures of 80 degrees F, wait until it is cooler. Most varieties will mature within 55 to 70 days and can be planted until late summer.

Beet Culture:

After plants are well established, the application of a mulch will conserve soil moisture, prevent soil compaction and help suppress weed growth. Any mechanical cultivation should be very shallow in order to avoid damage to the beet roots.

In order to obtain the highest quality, beets must grow continuously. Soil moisture and plant nutrient element supply must be adequately maintained to prevent checking of the growth. Supplemental watering may be necessary during dry spells.

Weeds, insects and diseases must be controlled in the planting. Principal insect and disease problems of beets are flea beetles, leaf miners, aphids and Cercospora leaf spot. Regular inspection of the crop can help deter a major pest infestation. Row covers at an early stage deter flea beetles and leaf miners.

Harvesting and Storing Beets:

: Image via Wikipedia

Beets can be harvested at any time in their growth cycle. Greens are best when four to six inches tall. Beet roots are generally most tender after growing for 40 to 50 days. The best size is between 1-1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. As beets get larger, they tend to become more fibrous. When harvested, leave at least one inch of foliage on the root to avoid bleeding during cooking. Beets are suited to long-term storage if kept at temperatures near freezing and with high humidity to prevent wilting.