Yesterday I needed to get a little fresh air so I wandered outside and picked a few tomatoes and beets while I waited for my pain meds to kick in.
The fall seedlings I started last month are ready to be set out in the garden boxes, but in order for me to get them in the ground, I had to make room by pulling up the summer beets.
Lucy the puggle dog helped of course. 😉
I’m not exactly sure what I’m going to do with the 62 pounds of beets we pulled up, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out soon enough.
Luckily beets keep for quite a long time so I think I’ll roast a few and then maybe make some pickled beets as well. Unless of course YOU have any suggestions for me {I’d love to hear them}.
Oh, and remember my neighbor the hunter? This is the care package The Girl dropped off to him last night. Fresh beets, chard, kale and heirloom tomatoes. He didn’t have anything to offer in return right at that moment, but when venison season comes around this fall, I’m sure I’ll find a few packages of meet on our door step.
Everything tastes so much better when you share. Wouldn’t you agree?
~Mavis
susie says
We add beets and the greens to a smoothie. Just grapes, beets, wild blueberries and water. My husband calls it an energy bomb! we used the beets when they were small, just play around with the amounts.
Carolyn says
salsa and chow chow. looks very pretty in the jars.
Jean says
Do you use the beet greens? They’re even more nutritious than the beets (according to the new book, Eating on the Wild Side). I cook mine just like kale or chard. For breakfast I usually make a hash with red onion, any greens, squash, apple, and parsley, topped with an egg, soft-cooked. I don’t add meat, but that’s just my preference. It keeps me going a long time! I wouldn’t use the beets in there, but beet greens work just fine.
Linden says
Beet cake:
(Makes a 9-inch torte, serves 10) CAKE:
16 ounces of beets that have been boiled so are soft like the ones you find in a can
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
5 large eggs, separated
¾ cup sugar
1/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs
grated rind of one lemon
1 ½ cups finely ground unblanched almonds
Grind the nuts very fine but short of becoming a paste; almonds are preferred but you can substitute pecans, walnuts or cashews. A nut grinder is best for this purpose, or use a completely dry food processor or blender and pulse, stopping and scraping the sides down often.
CHOCOLATE GLAZE:
2 ounces semisweet chocolate
2 tablespoons rum or strong coffee
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Drain the beets and puree them in a food processor. Transfer the puree to a fine sieve and set aside to drain again. You should have slightly more than 1 ¼ cups.
Butter a 9 inch spring-form pan and line the bottom with a round of wax paper or parchment cut to fit. Butter the paper and dust lightly with four. Set aside.
Melt four ounces of chocolate over very low heat and, when partially melted, stir with a rubber spatula until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Place the egg yolks and ½ cup of sugar in a bowl of an electric mixer and beat at high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the yolks are a pale lemon color and creamy. Set the mixer on low speed and add the chocolate , mixing just to combine. Still on low speed, add the ground nuts, bread crumbs, pureed beets, and lemon rind and mix until well blended. Set aside.
In another clean bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed with a dash of salt until they hold soft peaks; do not overbeat. Still on high speed, gradually add the remaining ¼ cup sugar and beat until the whites hold a shape but are not stiff and dry.
With a spatula, gently fold the whites into the chocolate mixture in several additions, mixing only to incorporate, without over-folding. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the center of the oven for 1 hour or until the cake begins to shrink away from the sides of the pan.
Cool completely in the pan. When cooled, run a thin spatula or sharp knife between the cake and the sides of the pan to release it. Remove the sides of the pan and invert the cake onto a rack. Remove the pan bottom and the wax paper. Cover with a serving plate and invert cake again, leaving it right side up.
To make the glaze, melt 2 ounces chocolate with the rum or coffee in a small saucepan over very low heat. Remove from heat and beat in the butter with a wire whisk until thoroughly blended. Place the pan in a bowl of cold water and continue beating until the mixture is completely cooled. Spread the glaze over top and sides of the cake with a metal spatula. It can be served immediately or chilled.
Lisa says
There is a blogger in Finland who recently posted a lot about beets! If you use Chrome you can have the entire thing translated at once (unlike my paragraph at a time I was doing until my teenage son told me about Chrome!).
She has a link to a chocolate cake with beets.
The photographs in the blog are beautiful too.
http://appelgretchen.blogspot.com/2013/08/crazy-for-beetroot.html
Marcy says
I roast them with some tomatoes (seeds out), onions, garlic, carrot. Then I puree’ it all in the food processor and put in a dash of salt and balsamic and then some olive oil and a few tablespoons of pesto. I then use it as a sauce on a pizza.
Nancy says
Borscht! It is essentially beet stew or beet soup, depending on the consistency. There are about as many recipes for borscht as there are for beef stew – some with meat, some without. I don’t have a favorite recipe (I’ve actually never tried making it), but I had it several time when we traveled to Russia, and it was always yummy!!
Love reading your blog – I hope you are recovered from your trip to the dentist soon!!
Nancy
Elaine S says
Makes me wish I lived in your neighborhood! 😉
katy says
we enjoy these (5 kids – all like them): http://www.kissmybroccoliblog.com/2012/08/19/blueberry-beet-pancakes/
and we juice daily so beet greens are a good substitute for other greens we juice (like kale)
Elena says
Roasted Beets with sweets. Dice Beats, sweet potatoes, and onions. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400 till sweet and delicious!
Diane says
I’m with Nancy – borscht is a great 3-season soup/stew (not so great in the middle of summer), and it freezes well. I use my own version of the late Nora Ephron’s beef borscht recipe. I usually cook it on the stovetop but I am SURE you can adapt it to your beloved crockpot. Adjust vinegar, brown sugar and lemon juice to your particular taste. It’s hugely yummy!
2-3 lbs. lean stew beef, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
2-3 yellow onions, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 (or so) tablespoons olive oil
2 15-oz. cans beef broth, or homemade broth
2 cups water
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
• Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar, packed, or to taste
6-8 medium-sized fresh beets
6-8 carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch rounds
½ small head purple cabbage
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Sour cream
• Boiled or microwaved red potatoes
In a heavy-bottomed, large stockpot, brown the beef on all sides in the olive oil. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, 5-10 minutes. Add beef broth and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes, skimming off any scum. Add tomato sauce, lemon juice, cider vinegar and brown sugar and bring mixture back to a boil. Simmer for at least 1 hour or until beef is tender.
Meanwhile, trim tops and roots from beets and slice into julienne strips, no more than 1/4-inch square (you could also use half-slices). Core purple cabbage and slice into thin shreds. When beef in stockpot is tender, add julienned beets and bring soup back to a boil. Simmer vigorously for about 5 minutes. Add sliced carrots and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add shredded cabbage and simmer for a final 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup over boiled potatoes, add liberal amounts of sour cream and serve with pumpernickel bread. Serves at least 8.
Diane says
I forgot to mention red flannel hash (a breakfast/brunch dish, but great for lunch/dinner, too) as a great way to use beets AND potatoes. There are some good recipes online. The hash is good with leftover turkey instead of leftover beef, too.
Lindsey says
Pickled Beets
1 cup Vinegar to one cup sugar!! and process for 10mins! so easy!
Sheila Palmer says
First few times I made beet cake I told the kids it was red velvet cake!
Robin in SoCal says
I love Thy Hand’s beet hummus recipe
Mavis Butterfield says
Oh I forgot about that one! Thanks for the reminder Robin. 🙂
katie NC says
Beets roasted in olive oil and a touch of sugar & salt, topped with goat cheese and beet chips are my favorite ways to eat them. I know a lot of people put them in smoothies. You can also eat the tops sautéed with garlic and olive oil like spinach. I like to put it in soups and served with poached egg on top. Fun fact: you can also make dye with beets. Girl who thinks she’s a bird might have fun doing some beet tie dye with the extras.
I’m jealous of your neighbors, I would totally be knocking on your door to take some of those off your hands.