Beets
lated to chard, their tops are also delicious. Both tops and roots are a fabulous addi-
B 14 • Foodie 2012
tion to salads. They are delicious pickled in vinegar. The red roots create a new culinary sensation when combined with carrots and a bit of brown sugar and butter. Famously, beets are the ruby player in the queen of vegetable soups, borscht. But red is not their only colour. Beets can
be violet as in sugar beets or yellow as in golden beets, which are milder in flavour and don’t stain everything carmine. There are also striped (red and cream or
rilliantly red, smoothly round, lusciously earthy and sweet, beet roots (Beta vulgaris) are a treat on any table. Re-
Underground jewels
orange and paler yellow) beets. Chioggia (pronounced key-oh-gee-ah), is an Italian variety. Chioggia beets lose some of their colour when boiled, but are ideal for roast- ing with a little balsamic. Beets are easy to grow from seed, perfect
for this region as they are considered a cool season crop. They will even grow in partial shade. Plant the seeds out directly into the garden when soil temperatures reach 18 to 24 degrees C. Sow them about a half inch deep, about 12 to 18 inches apart. Like most root vegetables, beets grow best in a well-drained, sandy loam. They will need to be thinned when the
plants are about five inches tall. The thin- nings can be eaten, roots, tops and all. Good companions for beets include bush
beans, cabbage, corn, leeks, radishes, lettuce and onions.
Nutritional value
Even though beets have a high sugar content, they contain only about 30 calo- ries per half cup and their nutritional value is outstanding. They are packed with about 80 nutrients including vitamins A and C, calcium and manganese, potassium and folic acid. Red beets are full of betacyanin, an im- portant anti-oxidant and are reported to im- prove digestion and reduce inflammation. Beets can help lower cholesterol, offer
coronary artery protection and are said to have anti-aging properties. `
www.localgardener.net Kathryn’s Garden fresh borsch
2 cups of beets cut fine in strips 3 cups of water 1 carrot diced fine 2 tbsp of celery diced fine 1 clove of garlic minced 1 cup of tomato juice 1 tbsp of butter Lots of fresh chopped dill about 1/3 of a cup ¾ cup whipped cream Scrub beets well, don’t peel. Cut up vegetables. Put in water and add all oth- er ingredients except tomato juice and cream. Boil till tender. Add tomato juice and cook one minute more. Add cream and serve. You can add other vegetables such as peas or potatoes.
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