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| Beets Information |
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Beets are a wonderful, colorful vegetable that can be boiled, baked, pureed, pickled, and served hot or cold. The brightly colored root is the usual choice for food, but the leafy tops, or beet greens, are edible as well. Beet greens can be used in salads, or cooked as spinach or dandelion greens.
Boil beet roots whole and unpeeled, with the leaves just trimmed and the top intact. This prevents loss of the nutrients. When the roots are cooked, hold them under cold running water and you can easily slip them out of their skins, which should be discarded. (Tip: Do not boil them when preparing for a fancy dinner party; they do not smell very pleasant when they are boiling. Be prepared to open windows and leave the fan on.)
When boiled, they can be served as is, with butter, or pickled in vinegar with spices or herbs such as dill. "Harvard" beet recipes make a sweet-sour dish; they are made with sugar and vinegar and then thickened with cornstarch.
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Avoid large beets which have a hairy taproot. All those tiny roots (hair) are an indication of age and toughness. Most beets that come to the market will be 1-1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. Any larger and they begin to grow a tough, woody center. Smaller beets will be sweeter and more tender.
Purchase fresh beets only if the leaf stems are still attached to insure ultimate freshness. Avoid beets with scales or spots.
Beet / Beetroot Selection
To store beets, trim the leaves 2 inches from the root as soon as you get them home. The leaves will sap the moisture from the beet root.
Do not trim the tail. Store the leaves in a separate plastic bag and use within two days. The root bulbs should also be bagged and can be stored in the refrigerator crisper drawer 7 to 10 days.
Cooked or canned beets may be refrigerated up to one week.
Fresh cooked beets may also be frozen up to ten months. Be sure to peel before freezing in airtight containers or baggies, leaving no air in the container. They may be frozen whole or in cut pieces.
Beet / Beetroot Cooking Tips
• Be gentle when washing beets. You want the thin skin to remain intact for cooking.
• Although beets can be eaten raw, they are generally boiled, baked, steamed, fried, grilled or otherwise cooked before eating.
• Choose beets of uniform size to promote even cooking.
• To retain nutrients and color, boil, bake or steam without peeling first.
The skin will easily rub off under cold running water after they are cooked.
• When trimming, leave at least an inch of the leaf stems attached and do not remove the root. The stem and root are removed after cooking.
• If you must peel before cooking, a swivel vegetable peeler works better than a paring knife.
• For best flavor, bake beets instead of boiling or steaming. Wrap them in foil to avoid staining.
• Plan on 3 to 4 small beets per serving.
• 3 medium beets = about 2 pounds fresh beets with tops
• 1 pound fresh beets trimmed = about 2 cups sliced or chopped
• 1 pound fresh beets trimmed = 3 to 4 servings
• 1 16-ounce canned whole beets = about 2 cups
• 1 8-ounce can sliced beets = about 1 cup
• Complementary herbs and spices include allspice, bay leaf, cloves, chives, dill weed, garlic, mustard seed, thyme, and citrus.
• To avoid staining your fingers, wear rubber gloves when handling beets.
• To remove beet juice from fingers, rub with wet salt and lemon juice and then wash with soap and water. For cutting boards and plastic containers, use a bleach solution.
• 1 Tablespoon of vinegar added to beet cooking water will not only reduce the odor of the cooking beets, but also help them retain their bright color.
• For older beets, try adding a pinch each of sugar and salt to each cup of cooking water to revive sweetness and color.
• Beets are naturally high in sodium, so no salt is necessary in the cooking water.
• To microwave whole beets, pierce the skin and place one pound in a micro-proof dish with 2 Tablespoons of water. Cook on high for 9 to 12 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before cooling and peeling.
• To avoid bleeding of color into other ingredients, add beets just before serving if possible.
• Grated raw beets make a tasty addition to salads. |
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