Beets
Culinary Use, Storage, & Benefits
Vegetable Profile: Beets (Beta vulgaris)
Description
Beets are curious creatures. Their secret sweet flavorful goodness comes out best when roasted in coconut oil, lard, or other heat-stable saturated fat, and in fact they boast some of the highest sugar content of all the vegetables. Even so, they are rich in inulin, which helps support stable blood sugar levels. Wild beets still grow in the Mediterranean where they originated, but today we enjoy many varieties of cultivated beets, from the beautifully stripped chioggia (pronounced kee-O-gee-uh), to the golden beet, to the classic Detroit dark red. We love them all. If you’ve tried beets and not been into them, well , keep trying them different ways. I contend that there is a way to prepare beets for everybody. They say we eat with our eyes first, and there are few vegetables I can name that brighten up the color palate of a plate like beets.
Beauty is in the eye of the beet-holder?
Nutrition
You might notice that after a healthy helping of beets, that you have some pink-tinted urine OR stools. Not to gross you out, but check it out: according to Dr Jeffery Bland, PhD, pink urine may indicate an iron deficiency, while magenta stool indicates adequate iron levels. Who knew! But what traditional healers who use beets know, and that science is now able to validate, is that beets support the blood and nourish the heart, liver, and large intestine, and kidneys. They also promote healthy menstruation, and the ancient Romans believed them to be an aphrodisiac. Today, we know they are high in boron, which is a mineral critical for the production of human sex hormones. Beet greens are also high in calcium, vitamin K, folic acid, and iron.
Storage
Baby beets have thinner skin and lose moisture in the fridge more easily, so they should be stored in a water-tight container and used within 4-5 days. Mature, uncut beets can keep in the crisper drawer for weeks to a month or more, with the tops removed. Just beware of them becoming soft or wrinkly, this is a sign of moisture loss. The greens are also edible and nutritious. Store those separately from the beet bulbs in a bag and use within 4-5 days.
Farmer Al washing beets for CSA
Use
Cooked: Cook with the skin on. Toss in a generous amount of fat, sprinkle with sea salt, and roast in the oven at 400 degrees until tender. These can be eaten hot or reserved to add to salads later. I like this option for chiggia beets especially, because it elevates the colorful pattern on the inside of the beet.
Fermented: Beets’ rich sugar content makes them excellent food for beneficial microbes. I like to make a salt brine, cube them, and mix them with onions and ferment for a week (or until bubbly on top) cultured beets. Stores well in a jar in the fridge and stays crisp for months.
Pickled: Beets complement vinegar brine very well.
In soup: Borscht is a classic dish to make with beets.
Beet greens may be substituted for chard or spinach in recipes.
Sources:
The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia by Rebecca Wood
Asparagus to Zucchini by Fairshare Coalition
Produce: A fruit and vegetable lover’s guide by Bruce Beck
Our own experience!
