Fresh from The Spring Farm: Beets

Jenny Spring

By Jenny Spring

Beets-one of my favourite garden vegetables. I like to grow the yellow, dark purple and candy cane beets. Beets are a cool season vegetable crop. This root veggie grows quickly and has many different varieties, which showcase deep red, yellow, or white bulbs of different shapes. Beets can survive frost and almost freezing temperatures, which makes them a great choice for northern gardeners and an excellent long-season crop.

I always start my beets in a container in the greenhouse that is later planted outside. The seeds spend about 20 days in the cell tray and then are transplanted into the garden.

• A soil pH above 5.5–6 is best, otherwise growth will be stunted. Beets are a good indicator of soil pH.
• Till in aged manure before planting. Beets require especially good nutrition and a high phosphorus level to germinate. Go easy on nitrogen however, an excess will cause sprawling greens and tiny bulbs beneath the soil.
• Wait until soil reaches 50°F before planting.
• Plant seeds ½ inch deep and 1-2 inches apart.
• Make sure soil remains moist for germination.
• In zones with low moisture and rainfall, soak the seeds for 24 hours before planting.
• Early crop can be planted in March/April, and late crop anytime from June to September. Successive plantings are also possible as long as the weather doesn’t exceed 75°F. Space plantings about 20 days apart.
• Winter crops are a definite possibility in Zone 9 and above.

Beet care

• Thinning is necessary, as you may get more than one seedling out of each seed. Thin when they reach about 2 inches high by pinching them off. Pulling them out of the ground may disturb the roots of nearby seedlings.
• Established plants should be thinned to 3–4 inches between plants.
• Water well. Beets need to maintain plenty of moisture.
• Any necessary cultivation should be gentle, beets have shallow roots that are easily disturbed.
• Days to maturity tend to be between 50 and 70 for most varieties, although they can be harvested at any time you see fit. If you like larger bulbs, wait longer, but understand they will be tougher and woody.
• Don’t let greens grow above 6 inches before harvesting.
• Don’t forget about the tops! Beet greens have a delicious and distinctive flavor, and hold more nutrition than the roots.
• Fresh beets can be stored in the refrigerator for 5–7 days. Clipping the tops off beets will keep them fresher for longer. Leave about one inch of stem on each beet, and store the greens separately.
• For root cellar type storage, make sure you brush off any soil clinging to these crops, then store them in a cool, dry place. An unheated closet might do, or put them in a cooler in your basement.
• Beets can be frozen, canned, and pickled.

Recipes

There are so many good ways to eat beets, I don’t even know where to begin. I love to boil beets and roast them but also use them in smoothies, smoothie bowls or bake with them.

The best smoothie ever (From dishingupthedirt.com)

Beet Smoothie (dishingupthedirt.com)

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked and pureed beets (see below for instructions)
• 1 banana, chopped (I freeze my bananas and use them in smoothies)
• 2 dates, pitted and finely chopped (soaked for at least 30 minutes if you don’t have a high speed blender)
• 2 Tablespoons almond butter
• 1 Tablespoon chia seeds
• 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk (preferably organic from the can)
• 3/4 cup almond milk (homemade or store bought)
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 ice cubes

Preparation

1. Chop one large or two small beets into 1-inch pieces. Place in a pot of boiling water. Cook until beets are fork tender. About 15 minutes. Drain and cool.
2. Place beets in a food processor and puree. Chill mixture until ready to use.
3. Combine all of the ingredients in a high speed blender and process until smooth.
4. Optional: Top each smoothie with shredded coconut and a drizzle of pure maple syrup.

Beet Salad

Ingredients

• 1 cup of cooked beets
• Sprinkle of goat cheese or feta
• Chopped up green onion
• Chopped fennel
• Chopped tarragon
• Salt and pepper
• Roasted walnuts
• 1 tbsp. of maple syrup
• Balsamic vinegar
• Olive Oil

Preparation

1. Rinse and peel the beets and then boil them until you can cut one in half with a fork. Poor cold water over them to chill.
2. Drizzle some olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the beets and sprinkle with salt and pepper
3. Toss with chopped green onion, tarragon and fennel
4. Sprinkle cheese of your choice over the beets
5. On medium heat, roast walnuts with maple syrup for about 2 minutes. Immediately toss with beet salad.

Beet Raspberry Cupcakes (From Chatelaine)

Beet Raspberry Cupcakes (Photo: Chatelaine)

Ingredients

• ¼ cup raspberries
• 1 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¾ cups baking powder
• ¼ tsp of baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ cup of icing sugar
• 1 cup of cooked beets

Preparation

• Measure out raspberries and leave on counter. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper cups or spray with oil.
• Stir flour with cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
• Puree cooked beets in a blender or food processor.
• Beat sugar with oil in a medium-sized bowl, using an electric mixer, until combined, 2 minutes. Beat in egg, then beets and vanilla. Gradually beat in one-third of flour mixture just until blended, then half of buttermilk. Repeat additions, ending with flour mixture.
• Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full.
• Bake in centre of oven until a cake tester inserted in cupcakes comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes, then remove cakes to a rack to cool completely before icing.
• Push raspberries through a sieve into a bowl, using the bottom of a ladle. Discard seeds. Stir in cream cheese and icing sugar until evenly mixed. Spread over cooled cupcakes.

Beet Tzatziki

Ingredients

• 1 pound beets, scrubbed clean (about 3 medium-sized beets)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/4 cup fresh dill, minced
• 2 cups plain full-fat goat-milk yogurt or cow’s milk yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Preparation

1. Cut beets in half and place in a pot of boiling water. Boil until fork tender. About 15-20 minutes. Drain and when cool enough to handle grate the beets on the large holes of a grater or use the grater attachment on your food processor.
2. Combine the grated beets with the yogurt, garlic, dill, lemon juice and salt. Stir and let chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Late one June evening on the Spring Farm

Jenny Spring and Oliver Wolfe are co-owners of The Spring Farm with Andrea and Brian Currie. Each week, Jenny will share a recipe featuring in-season, Muskoka-grown produce from their local farm, which is just five kilometres from downtown Huntsville. She’ll also share a gardening tip about the chosen vegetable. You can find these vegetables and more at the Huntsville Farmers’ market on Thursdays after Victoria Day in the Canadian Tire parking lot, or at The Spring Farm gate on Bethune Road North starting in June.

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