Veggie IDs: Beets

Beets come in many colors — red, gold, candy striped – and we usually have them all. You can eat the green tops too! In fact, let’s focus on that. We almost always send along the beet greens still attached to the beets. And that is because THEY ARE AMAZING! Beet greens can be used anywhere you see kale, chard, collards, etc. They are interchangeable!

The root of the beet has a sweet, earthy flavor and are full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. It like to shred the beet raw into salads and slaws, or steam them to toss with chevre and a balsamic vinaigrette, or roast with other mixed root vegetables.

Why eat beet greens? Beet greens are full of vitamins A, B6, C, and D as well as iron, fibre and calcium. Why would you want to toss that into the compost bin or not take advantage of these benefits?

To store: As soon as you get home, cut your beet greens off keeping about an inch of stem attached to the beet root. Separating the two will keep each as fresh as possible. Store the beet roots, with the rootlets (or “tails”) attached, unwashed, in a plastic bag in the crisper bin of your refrigerator. They will keep for several weeks. You’ll want to keep the unwashed greens dry and in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

To prep: For the beets themselves, scrub well and remove any scraggly leaves and rootlets. If your recipe calls for raw beets, peel them with a knife or a veggie peeler (or don’t, we don’t), then grate or cut them according to the recipe. To remove the skins, you can roast them in foil, steam, or boil them, and the peels will slip right off. When you are ready to eat the beet greens, wash leaves in basin of lukewarm water to remove grit. Remove the thicker stems. Cut into appropriately sized pieces, depending on use. Treat beet greens like chard, they are practically kissing cousins.

–> HERE are 25 recipes using beets from the Food Network.