Availability, Nutrition, and Recipe Suggestions
In Season: Fresh Beets are available starting sometime in June through the late fall
Although we typically plan for consistent beet production through the summer we will occasionally have gaps in production each season…
Storage: Beets are best kept in the fridge, inside a plastic bag. Stored promptly beets will keep weeks, months even…
Preservation: Beets can be preserved using either a quick vinegar pickle or more traditional fermentation… a la Fermented Beets and Beet Kvass [Cook’s Science].
Production Notes: Beets are among our very favorite vegetables to grow (and eat) at Brix Bounty Farm. We typically harvest beets loose and bag, you may occasionally see bunched beets at the stand; this is a special occasion as bunching is a less efficient harvest method for us, and required healthy tops at harvest time.
Varieties: In addition to golden beets, Boldor, and striped Italian beets, Chioggia, we grow a number of different red beet varieties. Our favorite early season variety is Kestrel … so delicious! Eagle, Merlin, and Boro are our other standard red varieties.
Nutrition: According to WHFoods.com, Beets are a good source of folate, manganese, and potassium. They also are the best source of betaine (or Trimethlyglycine) – see Examine.com’s thorough review of betaine’s function in human nutrition, Dr. Axe’s short review of betaine, and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition article from 2004. Eat your veggies! We suggest getting your nutrients from whole foods, rather than supplementation…
Deep Nutrition: According to Dr. Mercola, Beets can help “lower blood pressure and fight inflammation”. It is also good to know that Beets, along with all members of the chenopodiaceae family – chard, spinach, etc., contain oxalic acid, which may be broken down through cooking – see (Dr. Weil, 2008). WHFoods.com has a nice reference page regarding oxalates and kidney stone formation.
Preparation: Beets can be used raw, cooked, juiced… the possibilities are limitless. We suggest scrubbing to clean. One of my favorite ways to prepare beets is to “steam roast” them – just scrub and set in a oven dish with a bit of water, cover and roast until fork tender (typically 45 minutes – 1 hour at 400 degrees). Once they are done cooking transfer to a colander and rub under cold water to remove the skins. Slice, add a bit of salt and butter and enjoy! Tip: If you leave the roots intact and don’t cut into the top of the beet you’ll loose less of the sugars and nutrients while cooking…
Beets have been enjoying a multi-decade renaissance, set off by their resurgent presence in a Beet & Chevre Salad. Absolutely Yum!
These are just a few ideas to help get you started. Enjoy!
- A very simple Raw Beet Salad [Mark Bittman]
- Beet Soup Recipes abound; this one features coconut milk and ginger [Epicurious]
- Spiced Lentil Soup with Beets & Delicata Squash [Kathleen Henry, Produce on Parade]
- I traveled to New Zealand in college and recall they would add beets to their burgers, in traditional Kiwi/Aussie style…
Yum.