Let the Beets Drop!

Finally, it happened to me right in front of my face and I just cannot hide it. I love that jam! If you recall, my beet crop failed miserably last Spring. I know most people are not huge fans of beets (you gotta get some rhythm, people! Oh the puns never stop), but for me this was a huge disappointment. There is not a salad I enjoy more than peppery arugula, sweet golden beets, a sprinkle of toasted pecans, some chunks of creamy goat cheese, drizzled with the easiest homemade balsamic vinaigrette (see recipe below). That’s just the perfect summer dinner with some warm, crusty French bread.

This spring, I was determined to succeed so I took a different approach and started my beets inside in early February. I did two 6-cells of golden beets and one 6-cell of ruby beets. And when I start seedlings, I always drop 2-3 seeds in a cell in a triangle formation so that I can get multiple plants.

I transplanted these in early April and should have harvested them by end of May (55-65 days usually) but I don’t know what happened. The weather kept flip flopping. We’d have 3-4 hot humid days and then a few cold days. I think I just wasn’t paying enough attention and more focused on getting my peppers and tomatoes planted. Then June came and life got busier with school getting out, planning for a vacation. La dee dah. You know the drill.

I ended up harvesting them on two consecutive days – all the golden beets one morning and all the ruby beets the next morning. I ended up with 17 of each. Never could have planned that synchronicity if I tried. I think they were all quite voluptuous and curvy.

If you’re planning on preserving, I’m sure you know you want to get them canned as quickly as possible to maintain flavor and freshness. That’s why I tend to do these things on the weekend. I’ll go out early in the morning when it’s still cool, scoop up whatever I’m harvesting, and get everything going on the stove while the house is still peaceful and quiet (as if, those words only describe my household if we aren’t home).

I followed this pickled beets recipe from the National Center for Home Food Preservation (what a mouthful!) and did a batch each morning of 8 pints. This one is super basic, so if you have a recipe you like – please share.

I don’t know why but canning always ends up being a 3-hour endeavor for me. I’m always looking for shortcuts and tips to save time while still doing it safely.

Here’s what I did:

Boil the water to cook the beets. Once boiling, add the beets and cook for 25-30 minutes.
While the beets are cooking, start heating the water for the water bath (this takes soooooo long). Simultaneously, I am heating the brine and washing my jars, lids and rings.
Once the beets are finished cooking, let them cool for about 10 minutes then remove the skins and slice them up.
Place the cut up beets in the brine for 3-5 minutes.
Last, hot pack the jars, wipe the rims, put lids on top, and screw on the rings to fingertip tight. Fingertip tight means you don’t grip it with the palm of your hand and make it crazy tight.
Finally, if I timed it right, the water bath is boiling and then I can just slide the jars right in.

Typically, my timing isn’t great because I don’t multi-task well. Instead, there ends up being a decent amount of waiting between steps, which is how this takes 3 hours of my day.

I ended up with 16 pints of gorgeous golden and ruby beets. I’m super happy with this and look forward to enjoying these this fall and winter.

Easiest Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

Pour equal parts extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar in your dressing bottle. I usually eyeball about 3 tablespoons each.
Add a teaspooon each of dijon mustard and maple syrup.
Give a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Shake and enjoy!

Bouquet of Beets

We are a beet family. I didn’t eat them growing up, but some while ago I read they were good for making your blood stronger in Eat Right 4 Your Type. What exactly was meant by ‘stronger’ I don’t remember, but I’m a sucker for health claims. You could tell me that eating caterpillars covered in hot sauce is good for your skin and I would likely try it.

So I started buying canned beets at the grocery store. Please, before you spend time sending me hate mail about how inferior canned beets are to fresh, I know and I get it. But I’m not a foodie. For me, food is mostly functional. Rarely do I sit to enjoy a meal for the crisp crunchiness, amazing aromas or titillating textures. I just need to get the calories and nutrients in and be on my way. My kids eat canned beets (they look like little vampires with the juices running down their faces). I throw them on salads, sandwiches and burgers. Sidenote: ever had an Australian burger? With a fried egg, ring of pineapple and sliced beets? Sooo yummy <says the girl who just said she wasn’t a foodie>. Cactus even makes beet salad. So the decision to try to grow beets was just a “Sure, let’s give that a try.”

Three juicy, purple beets ripe from the Farm Charm Garden — Three of the first beautiful beets from the Farm Charm garden

I planted beets back on April 1st. I seeded them directly into the soil which I think is what the packet said to do. A mere 2.5 months later, these are just three of the amazing purple hearted beauties I plucked from the garden. They were likely ready for harvest two weeks ago but I kept waiting and waiting to see how much of the bulb would continue to push itself out of the soil. I think I didn’t plant them deep enough. Needless to say though, I am very happy with the result and still have about ten more plants I will harvest in the next couple weeks.

The Ferry Morse beet seeds I started with back on April 1. I would buy these again. — The package of beet seeds I bought at Lowe’s for the Farm Charm garden

I’ll be honest, beets were one of the vegetables whose success I was least invested in. Sorry beets, love you boo! I was way more interested in lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and squash because we eat those nearly every day. And, per above, canned beets really don’t bother me.

Perhaps it was that lack of love that made my beets say “I’ll show you. We’re gonna be the best darn beet crop you ever saw.” And they are.

Seven roasted beets ready to be made into a tasty salad — The Farm Charm first beet harvest after roasting

Next step was roasting them for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees and then removing the skins. Tip: I covered a pan with aluminum foil and sprayed it with cooking spray to prevent sticking and have minimal clean up. In the past I’ve also wrapped each beet individually and put a bit of olive oil in each package. If you wrap each one separately, definitely still put them on a pan and not directly on the oven rack. Similar to sweet potatoes, I believe some beet juice can drip and then you’ll have a mess to clean up in your oven.

I’ll make a beet salad and/or serve them with goat cheese. They are also great on a bed of arugula with chunks of goat cheese and a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts with a balsamic vinaigrette.

Farm Charm beet salad - nature's edible rubies — Farm Charm beet salad

Final thought: are beets always plural? Can I say I ate a beet for dinner? Can you add a beet to my sandwich? Sounds wrong.

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Tag: beet love

Let the Beets Drop!

Bouquet of Beets