Red Beets!

by Wanda

The beautiful beet.  Ok, so maybe not.

I recognize this may not be a popular post with everyone, but bear with me.

Raw beets washed and ready to cook.

While my husband is not a picky eater,  he will not eat red beets!  Never has, never will. 

His dad loves them!  So, a few years ago, we bought some red beet seeds and attempted to grow red beets for Grandpa.  It took a few years of sporadic growth and losing red beets to the

weed monsters until we harvested some beets.

A few things we learned about growing red beets - by trial and error:

• Red beet seeds are small - a little smaller than a pea. 
• Don't plant them very deep or they wont sprout!
• They need room to grow.  If they are planted too closely together, the beet can not form. 
• Give some space between the seeds, but also thin them as they grow - smaller beets are delicious too!
• Raised beds work great for red beets!  You don't lose them as quickly as you do in a huge garden!

How we use our fresh beets

Trim the green tops off and wash beets.  Cover with water in kettle.  Bring to a gentle boil and simmer until tender when poked with a fork.  Similar to cooking a potato, 20-30 minutes.

Drain water off of beets and allow to cool until you are able to handle them with your hands.

Tender beets - able to poke a fork into with out difficulty.

When cool enough to handle, take each beet and gently rub the skin until it comes off. 

It should slide off easily if cooked until tender.

One swipe of my thumb and the skin came off!

Cooked beets ready to be enjoyed!

I usually dice them into bite sized pieces, put a little salt and butter on to taste, and enjoy!

James enjoys his beets!

They are awesome with some shredded cheese too!

Grandpa and his red beets!

In another post, I will share how I canned the beets for him!