If puns are your thing, this is the article for you! If not, feel free to just roll your eyes. Either way, read below to learn some fun facts about beets.
Waiting for the Beet to Drop
The prime harvest season for beets is June through October, but you can pretty much find these all year around, so there is no need to wait. Beets come in all sorts of colors. You are probably most familiar with the red beet, but there are also golden yellow beets, white beets, and pink and white striped “candy cane” beets. And don’t forget that beet tops are edible as well. In fact, historically the leaves were consumed more than the root.
My Heart Skips a Beet
Ancient folklore tells us that when a couple eats the same beetroot, they will fall in love. Whether or not you believe in this, beets can still make their way into your date night. Beets can actually be made into a sweet dessert wine. The red beet is high in natural sugar with a sweet earthy flavor, creating a wine similar in taste to port.
Beauty and a Beet
For many many years, beet root has been used for cosmetics and art due to its vibrant red color. If you are searching for an art project, try painting with beet juice! Compare this color with traditional paint and see the difference. Or you could try making your own cosmetics out of red beets…they are traditionally used for lips or cheeks. It is also reported that beet juice can be used as a natural red hair dye, but after watching a few youtube videos of those who tried it at home, I’d suggest trying a different method. Worst case scenario, you can use the leftover juice to tie dye!
Bring the Beet Back
Reports of using beetroot as a natural medicine date back to at least Roman times. Today, scientists continue to study the benefits of eating this vegetable. Some proposed benefits from eating beets, particularly red beets, include improvements in hypertension, atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, inflammation, and dementia. While it has recently been trendy to drink beet juice, eating the whole vegetable in a salad or other dish will likely be more enjoyable and will give you all the same benefits.
Unbeetable Recipes
Now that you have learned a bit about the vegetable, it’s time to cook! Try out some of the recipes below.
Roasted Beet, Orange, Mint and Feta Salad
Recipe from www.justbeetit.com
Ingredients
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3-4 roasted beets
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2 oranges
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½ cup feta cheese
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¼ cup mint leaves
Directions
- Thinly slice beets and oranges.
- Place slices on a plate and top with feta cheese and chopped mint leaves.
- Add your favorite oil based dressing on top!
Brown Sugar Glazed Beets
Countryside Market Demo recipe from Chef Carla Owens, 2014
Ingredients
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3 Tbsp Brown Sugar
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2 Tbsp Orange Juice
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1 Tbsp Butter
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3 cups cooked and cubed Beets
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salt, pepper, & ginger to taste
Directions
- Combine brown sugar, orange juice, butter, salt and pepper in a large nonstick skillet.
- Cook over medium heat until the sugar and butter are melted and starting to bubble.
- Stir in beets and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and the beets are glazed, 6 to 8 minutes.
- May top with bacon and toasted almonds.
Beet and Grain Salad
Countryside Market Demo recipe from Christina Hill, 2019
Ingredients
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2 medium shredded Beets
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2 cups chopped Spinach
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½ cup cooked Spelt Berries
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⅓ cup Pistachios
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½ cup Feta cheese
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3 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
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2 Tbsp Honey
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¼ cup Olive Oil
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salt & pepper to taste
Directions
- Whisk together dressing ingredients: vinegar, honey, olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Combine all remaining ingredients in a bowl and toss in dressing.