Guide

Fruit and Vegetable Guide

Beets

Summer, Autumn, Winter

Description: Beets are a root crop with round red or gold flesh. Beet leaves are also edible.

Selection: Choose beets with tops attached. Bunches with beets of similar size will cook more evenly. Very large beets are sometimes woody and tough; those that are about 2 inches in diameter are just right.

Storage and handling: Remove the leaves and treat them like other greens. Store beets in a plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper drawer for 2-3 weeks, or in a root cellar. Before eating, scrub with a brush, remove dangling roots and all but an inch or so of the tops.

Preparation: Boil for 20-30 minutes, drain, cool and peel. Microwave 1 pound of whole 2-inch beets by placing in covered dish with 1⁄4 cup water and cooking 10-11 minutes. Pressure-cook for 12-20 minutes, depending on size. Skins will slip off easily after cooking. Sauté peeled, shredded beets, covered, for 10 minutes.

Serving suggestions: Peel and shred raw beets for use in salads
(SIS, p. 245). Season cooked beets with butter and salt. Beets marry well with a sweet and sour flavor and are often pickled (SIS, p. 276).

Nutrients: Vitamin C, folate; potassium; fiber.

1 lb raw = 4 cups
1 lb cooked = 2 cups

The Fruit and Vegetable Guide is reproduced here with permission of Herald Press, publisher of Simply in Season.

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Beets

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	Guide General Tips Apples Asparagus Beets Blueberries Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celeriac Celery Collards Corn Cranberries Cucumbers Edamame Edible flowers Eggplant Fennel Grapes Green beans Kale Kohlrabi Leeks Lettuce Melon Mesclun Mushrooms Okra Onions Parsnips Peaches Pears Peas Peppers Persimmons Potatoes Pumpkins Raspberries Rhubarb Rutabagas Spinach Summer squash Strawberries Swiss chard Sweet potatoes Tomatillos Tomatoes Turnips Wild greens Winter squash Fruit and Vegetable Guide Beets Summer, Autumn, Winter Description: Beets are a root crop with round red or gold flesh. Beet leaves are also edible. Selection: Choose beets with tops attached. Bunches with beets of similar size will cook more evenly. Very large beets are sometimes woody and tough; those that are about 2 inches in diameter are just right. Storage and handling: Remove the leaves and treat them like other greens. Store beets in a plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper drawer for 2-3 weeks, or in a root cellar. Before eating, scrub with a brush, remove dangling roots and all but an inch or so of the tops. Preparation: Boil for 20-30 minutes, drain, cool and peel. Microwave 1 pound of whole 2-inch beets by placing in covered dish with 1⁄4 cup water and cooking 10-11 minutes. Pressure-cook for 12-20 minutes, depending on size. Skins will slip off easily after cooking. Sauté peeled, shredded beets, covered, for 10 minutes. Serving suggestions: Peel and shred raw beets for use in salads (SIS, p. 245). Season cooked beets with butter and salt. Beets marry well with a sweet and sour flavor and are often pickled (SIS, p. 276). Nutrients: Vitamin C, folate; potassium; fiber. 1 lb raw = 4 cups 1 lb cooked = 2 cups The Fruit and Vegetable Guide is reproduced here with permission of Herald Press, publisher of Simply in Season. Subscribe to a recipe a week from the Simply in Season cookbook. More from our readers Do you have a tip, comment or recipe you would like to add to this page? Send your tips, helpful comments or recipes Name Email Address Email Address confirm Comments
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