Okay, I’ll admit it. For years I loathed the lowly beet. Well, except for sweet pickled beets. But who wouldn’t love those, I ask you? That’s the closest thing to vegetable candy as Mercury is to the sun. I mean, what’s not to love? They’re colorful, fun, and coated with tons of sugar. To my knowledge, it’s the only vegetable that can give kids an instant sugar rush while simultaneously turning their bathroom visits into something of amazement. But I digress…
As a kid, in an attempt to broaden my palate, my Mom forced canned beets onto my dinner plate at least once or twice a year. And to this day, I don’t know that there is anything useful about canned beets. They taste more like the can than anything else, and that’s not appetizing by any stretch of the imagination. So when I suddenly had an urge to plant some beets in our spring garden this year I was torn by my childhood memories and my own curiosity. On one hand, I know that beets are very good for us. They have tons of vitamins and essential nutrients our diets are generally lacking (like manganese, potassium, folate, vitamin C, magnesium, and fiber, just to mention a few), and recent studies have shown beets to help fight cancerous tumors and cells, as well as provide a rich source of antioxidants for our bodies immune system. On the other hand, without tons of sugar would I be able to stomach the little gems?
Over the weekend Sam harvested a few of the beets from the bed. Most of them were small – no bigger than a golf ball, so I was pretty sure they’d be tender. I decided to try simple first. I boiled them in a saucepan until fork tender. Once they were cool enough to handle (I actually just left them in the same pan all day long – water and all – as I was busy processing up other garden bounty) I slipped the skins off them, roughly chopped them up into bite sized pieces and quickly sautéed them with a little bit of butter, salt and pepper, and voila, some of the best veggies we’ve had from the garden this year. They were sweet as candy (and I swear I didn’t add any sugar at all). Sam and I fought over the leftovers…I won! I had no idea how good the beet could be, but now I’m wishing I’d planted a whole lot more of them. Thankfully in our zone we can get an early fall crop as well, which I’m sure will be pretty abundant.
I know lots of folks don’t seem to like beets, but I don’t just wonder if it’s because we’re not really sure what to do with them. And I have to admit that if I’d only ever had plain canned beets I’d be certain to be against them myself. So I urge you to pick up a small bunch of fresh beets the next time you’re at your local farmer’s market or super market, and give them a try using this method. I think you might just be surprised that the beet has a flavor that truly can’t be beat. Enjoy.
I LOVE BEETS FROM THE GARDEN AND IF YOU LOOK ON A SOUTHERN LIVING SITE YOU CAN FIND A GREAT RECIPE FOR ROASTED BEETS AND THE GREENS WITH A MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE. DIVINE!