Beets, beets and more beets

November 6, 11:43 AMBackyard Living ExaminerJane Gates

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A beet dug out of the garden

Photo by Jane Gates

Beets can be grown in the garden over a long season between frosts. In mild climates you can grow them from seed year round. The beet is one of the most useful vegetables since there is very little waste. You can eat both the greens that grow above ground and the root that sits in the ground. All beets, whether the usual dark red variety or the more elaborate yellow, pink, orange or ringed colors, are very nourishing.

Of all the vegetables you can eat, beets come up on top with the highest levels of anti-oxidants. They are not fattening at only 75 calories per cup. And they are rich in folate acid and potassium. You can cook them right after buying them or store them up to four days in the refrigerator. To store them, cut off the tops leaving a couple of inches of stem and do not wash them until they are ready to cook. You can steam or boil them, or you can grate them to eat them fresh.

The leaves of beets are also nutrient rich. Like spinach or Swiss chard, these green leaves are high in vitamins C and A as well as leutine which is good for the eyes. Beet greens are also very high in vitamin K, used by the body to fix calcium in the bones. The greens are even lower in calories than the roots weighing in at about 40 calories per cup.

If you grow your own beets, you can leave them in the ground until you are ready to use them so long as there is no hard frost predicted.

Beets are delicious to eat as a side dish or in a salad. Mix them with blue cheese or goat cheese and oil and vinegar to form their own salad, or add them to a fresh mixed or green salad. Use the lightly steamed leaves for a side dish that will go with any meat, fish or grain. Try sprinkling sesame seeds over beets or beet greens or add nuts for texture. There are many ways to prepare the colorful beet. It will add wonderful flavor and nutrition to any meal and add cheerful color to your cooking – or garden.

Also see:

Tips on growing carrots

Cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower

Decorative and unusual vegetables

How to grow vegetables