Hello and happy March! It seems like the year is speeding by, and with it being the start of autumn where I am (lucky you if you are in the beginnings of spring), my days are filled as fast as my kitchen bench, dealing with all the produce this abundant season has to offer.
One of the things I have an overwhelm of is beetroot, and a question I get asked often is “but what should I do with all my beetroot, it’s only good for preserving, right? I don't even know how to cook beetroot!” My answer yes, bottled beetroot is wonderful, but there is so much more we can do with this versatile crop.
Today I am sharing 5 ways to eat beetroot that don’t include preserving. So if you have a few beets lying around and need an idea or two with what to do with them, read on, or, if you are only at the planning or sowing stage right now with your beetroot, scroll down to read my tips for growing it.
5 ways to eat beetroot that DON’T include preserving
I’ve saved the best for last!
Baby or smaller beets boiled then added to salads. In fact I like beetroot just boiled as a side dish. But my most delicious salad recipe that uses boiled beetroot is “Middle Eastern Beetroot & Red Onion Salad” - you can find it here.
Grated raw as a filling for wraps, doner kebabs and burritos. Similar to carrot, grated beetroot adds a healthy raw element to anything wrapped in bread, and is a good way to get kids to eat it, especially if you let them fill their own wrap from a selection of picking bowls.
Juiced. Fresh beetroot juice improves heart health and can even lower blood pressure and the risk of stroke. It contains powerful antioxidants to reduce inflammation, and is high in potassium. The best juice combo I have found is carrot, green apple, and beetroot, Make sure your produce is chilled first so your juice is nice and cold, and have a play around with what ratios taste best to you. I usually do the same amount of each using a sour apple like Granny Smith. Fresh ginger is nice added too for a spicy hit to counter the sweetness.
Roasted. Roasted whole beet is lovely but can take some time to cook, so I like to cut it into pieces first and roast it alongside baby carrots, red onion quarters, whole garlic, potato chunks and halved tomatoes (beetroot and tomato go surprisingly well together). Add lots of extra virgin olive oil, fresh herbs, sea salt and cracked pepper, and mix through using your fingers. A bit of balsamic vinegar towards the end doesn’t go amiss either, and if you are feeling cheesy, add a chunk of feta with an extra drizzle of olive oil into the middle of the tray when there is 15 minutes cooking time to go. Stir through some finely sliced beetroot leaves once the roast is out of the oven for a fresh pop. Serve the whole thing with fresh bread, and “Lebanese Yoghurt & Tahini Sauce”
But my number one way to eat beetroot is with chocolate. More accurately in chocolate, in the form of chocolate cake or brownies, the darker the chocolate, the better. So hop over to my Oh-so-rich Beetroot & Hazelnut Brownie recipe. Your welcome.
Beetroot in the garden
Beetroot is an easy fast growing crop that enjoys the company of other plants, making it suitable for intercropping with something else such as lettuces which grow faster than the beetroot; as they get harvested they will make room for the beets. You can also underplant slower growing plants like onions or brassica with beetroot; if you time it right and plant the beetroot while the other plants are still seedlings, by the time the slower growing plant needs space, the beetroot around it will have been harvested.
Beetroot is one of those things you want to sow from seed once the weather has warmed right up as a punnet of six just isn’t going to cut it, and the plants themselves will grow much faster if sown directly into the ground. I sometimes do indirect sowings if I want to get the seeds off to an early start undercover in spring, and although they still grow well, there is definitely a stagnant period in their growth after transplanting which can slow them down.
Give them rich, loose, well-drained friable soil that has had wood ash recently added - this improves their colour and root size - and keep them well watered when young.
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