“And what in the world are you going to do with THOSE?” the older woman was referring to the large bunch of fresh-from-someone’s-garden-this-morning beets I held up at our local Saturday morning farmer’s market last summer.
I assured her that the family would LOVE them for dinner. “Well,” she muttered doubtfully, “If you’re sure…..” She was clearly not sure of any such thing herself.
It turns out that she had never had fresh beets in her LIFE. I am constantly running into people who have never eaten fresh beets and they are all missing out on a treat. And for that reason, I MUST share this important information with all of as as we’re coming into fresh beet season.
I have my mom to thank for my own enthusiasm about beets. She raised me right…and all before people knew much about anti-oxidents and all the other great things in fresh beets.
Fixing fresh beets is very simple. First you cut off the tops and boil the beets just about to death. Beets take a long time to cook and you need to watch them to be sure they don’t boil dry and burn. Large beets can take as much as a full hour to cook. They’re done when you can stick a fork in them easily. They won’t be quite as soft as boiled potatoes would be but close.
After they’ve been boiled, the outer skin just slides off of the beets. They are still full of red color, so be careful not to splash them on your clothes. Once you’ve removed the outer skins, cut the beets into 1 inch cubes and return to the pan. Barely heat them through. Toss them with butter, salt, and coarsely ground pepper and serve.
My kids have grown up eating fresh beets and LOVE them. They especially love them because if they eat enough of them, they pee pink. For boys, this is a really special and exciting treat.
I’ve learned of a second way to cook fresh beets to add to our repertoire: ROASTED beets. Roasting in the oven brings out the beets’ natural sweetness.
- Start by peeling the rough outer skin of the beet off with a potato peeler.
- Cut into 1.5 inch cubes.
- Lay beets on a large sheet of aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil, toss handful of thyme on top, and season with salt and pepper.
- Fold up the foil tightly to make a sealed pouch and put it on a jelly-roll pan.
- Bake at 375° until the beets are tender when pierced, about 45 minutes. (Drop a knife in the center of 1 beet piece; if it slides out without resistance, they’re done.)
For a yummy variation, toss a handful of fresh rosemary on top of the beets before roasting instead of the thyme. I suppose that just about any fresh herb could bring out a slightly different nuance of flavor and would definitely be worth experimenting with. And remember not to rush off to the doctor when you start peeing pink!
The taste of fresh beets is one of the tastes of summer for me. Beets are some of the easiest and fastest veggies to grow in your own garden and are definitely worth trying.
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What’s an average serving size?
I needed to hear this, and chuckled because my mom LOVES beets, and I always thought….ewww!. But, as a mom now, I know how healthy they are. My brother is growing them this year, so I’ll have to follow your directions.
Thanks again for sharing your Tasty Tuesday with mine.
Jen
I can honestly say that I have never even thought about cooking fresh beets! This has me curious to know how they taste, maybe I’ll be inspired to grow some. Are they hard to grow?