Food from the garden!
The continuous harvest in the garden…continues. It’s almost indescribably great to have fresh food just there for the picking to make up every meal! Here, delicious young beet greens.
This red beet variety, with the traditional red-veined leaves, is called Kestrel. We also grow red-and-white striped (Chioggia) and orange-yellow (Golden Detroit) beets, and beets with all-green and all-red leaves. They all taste similar, but not exactly the same, and the colors alone make having a selection well worthwhile.
The way we seed beets, they tend to grow close together, so we have to remove some (that’s thinning) to allow the rest to mature properly. Luckily, the thinnings are a harvest on their own, as the beet leaves are delicious. You can eat them raw—great added to salads—or cook them like spinach. Try wilting them in a pan with olive oil and/or butter, salt and pepper (and some garlic is good). Amazing! :)
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If anyone is looking for something to do with beets, this is one of my favourite recipes, for borscht (aka beet soup). The basic recipe is below – substitute veggie-wise for whatever you happen to have.
Spring Borscht
4 small beets including tops
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 onion, chopped
1 potato, peeled and chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green beans
6cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 cup ketchup or tomato juice
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tbsp chopped dill
Cut greens and stems from beets. Chop stems. Set aside greens.
Peel beets and chop. In large stockpot, combine beets and stems, cabbage, onion, potato, carrot, celery and green beans.
Pour in stock and ketchup; bring to boil.
Cover and simmer for about 40 minutes. Stir in beet greens and
cook another 15 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper if desired.
Serve with sour cream and dill (the sour cream is a must).
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