Spring/Fall beets with greens.

Storage beets (top to bottom): Golden, Chioggia, and Red.

Photos by Jake Griggs

We grow the Chioggia, Kestrel, Merlin Red, Touchstone Gold, Burpee Golden, and Detroit Dark Red varieties.

The sections below were copied with permission from Mi Ae Lipe’s Tastes from the Valley to Bluff: The Featherstone Farm Cookbook (2008).

Storage:

If you are lucky enough to acquire beets with their greens still attached, cut all but 2 inches of the greens and stems from the roots, so they do not pull moisture away from the roots. Store the unwashed greens in a separate perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator vegetable crisper, where they will keep for about 4 days. The roots should be pkaced in te coldest place possible. Beets that are unwashed in the refrigerator vegetable crisper will keep for about 3 weeks. Beets will also keep quite well in a basement, root cellar, or other place with the proper cool temperature and lack of humidity (for more information, see "Preserving the Bounty" on page 331).

Complementary Herbs, Seasonings, & Foods

Allspice, apples, bacon, beef, brown sugar, butter, cheese, chestnuts, cinnamon, citrus, clovees, cream, cucumber, curry, dill, eggs, fennel, honey, horseradish, lamb, lemon, mustard, nutmeg, onions, oranges, parsley, pork potatoes, smoked fish, sour cream, tarragon, vinaigrette, vinegar.

Serving Suggestions

• Because of their dense texture and sweet flavor, beets go best with rich meats like pork, beef brisket, duck, and ham, as well as oilier fish like salmon or swordfish.

• Baking and oven-roasting are wonderful ways to accentuate the natural sweetness of beets because these cooking methods caramelize their sugars.

• Shred beets and carrots for an airy, colorful salad. Toss with raisins and a sweet dressing.

• Beets can be juiced, but be sure to use this juice sparingly and mix with apple juice (or you will have a sugar high unlike any other).

• Beet soup, or borscht, is a perennial Eastern European favorite. Top it with sour cream and serve with pork tenderloin, a green salad, and a dark bread like rye or pumpernickel.

• Shred beets and red cabbage, and cook them together with a little balsamic vinegar, sea salt, and butter.

• Don't forget the beet greens -- they are incredibly healthy and tasty when sautéed with garlic and a nice olive oil. Try them in stir-fries and soups, or eat them raw in salads. Older beet greens are more flavorful and slightly bitter, which make them a perfect foil to goat cheese, rich soups, stews, and meats.

• Sprinkle cooked beets with the grated zest or juice of either lemons or oranges.

• Bake whole beets along with new potatoes in the oven until tender. They are delicious salt and pepper, and served with steak or corned beef.

More information on beets:

Cook out of the Box - Focus: Beets

Cook out of the Box - Tried and True: Pickled Beets

Farm Journal: "Beet, Zucchini, and New Projects!"

Recipes

Beet and Carrot Sandwich

Butter slices of good quality rye bread.  Grate raw peeled beets and carrots and put a little pile of each on each slice of bread - beet on one side and carrot on the other.  If you have good quality eggs, serve with a raw egg yolk on top of each slice along with a few lemon wedges.  Or top with a poached egg.  Or a dollop of good mayonnaise or creme fraiche.  Fresh dill would be excellent with this dish.

Credit: Cook out the Box 2011 - Winter Box #8

Borscht

Make about 10 cups meat stock - use soup bones or lean meaty ribs or chuck roast. Add a little onion, carrot, celery and bay leaf to the water. About one pound meat and bones to 5-6 cups water is a good proportion. Simmer several hours and strain. Cut up meat to add to soup later. Add vegetables to the stock and simmer until all are tender - about 2 cups chopped onion, 4 cups shredded cabbage, 3 cups each chopped carrot and potato. If you have some parsnip or rutabaga a little of that is good too. Add about 3 cups chopped cooked and peeled beets near the end of cooking. I also like to add a can of whole or diced tomatoes and their juice- about 3 cups. If you are lucky, you will have a row of beautiful home canned tomatoes in your larder - now is the time to break out a jar.

Use salt and pepper to taste. A handful of fresh chopped parsley and dill is nice. Near the end of cooking, add about 1/2 cup red wine vinegar or lemon juice and 1/2 cup sugar.

Serve topped with some sour cream or creme fraiche. Good with rye bread. Also good with a full flavored red wine or some dark beer or ale.

Credit: Cook out of Box 2011 - Winter Box #6

Karelian Borsch 

This is adapted from Beatrice Ojakangas' classic Finnish Cookbook.

Vegetables: 2 cups beets, peeled and grated; 2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped or grated; 6 cups red or green or mixed cabbage, shredded or thinly sliced

1 bay leaf

1 clove garlic

2 T. red wine or cider vinegar

1 T. sugar

1 t. salt

2 T. butter or lard or sunflower oil

4 T. flour

8 cups meat broth

1/2 pound Polish or similar sausages, sliced

Sour cream or creme fraiche

Thinly sliced lemons, optional

Saute beets and carrots in fat about 5 minutes in a large pot.  Add salt, flour and vinegar and mix.  Add all other ingredients except sausage, sour cream and lemons.  Before you serve the soup, add the sliced sausages and heat.  Pass sour cream and lemon slices with the soup.

Credit: Cook out the Box 2011 - Winter Box #8

Beet Root Soup

Chop into small pieces:  one onion (peeled), 1 turnip (peeled), a few cups of chopped cabbage, a little celery if you have it, about 1 heaping cup cooked beet.  Boil all together with 3 cups milk and water mixed.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  When vegetables are soft, puree in a blender (cool a bit first) or rub through a sieve.  Add a few tablespoons of butter or cream before serving.  A pinch of cloves would be a nice addition.

Credit: Cook out the Box 2011 - Winter Box #8

Beet Carrot Salad

I took the raw beets and the fat carrot and I peeled them. Then I grated them, using the grating attachment of my modest food processor. You could use a mandoline, an old fashioned box grater (largest holes) or even your hands and a sharp knife -  slicing into matchsticks. The idea is to reduce these hard veggies into small toothsome pieces. I also added some red onion - about 2 tablespoons grated). Then the dressing - simple oil and vinegar.  This time I used about 2 T. canola oil and 4 T. raspberry vinegar. Red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar would be nice too. If you have no vinegar you could squeeze the juice from an orange. Then about a teaspoon of sugar and some salt and pepper to taste and voila you have it. A crunchy, tangy, tasty, healthy salad.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Living without Lettuce: Where's the Crunch?

Pasta with Beet Greens and Diced Roasted Beets 

1. Roast beets. (Note:  roasting the beets takes some time - you can do this ahead and refrigerate the beets until you need them.) Scrub beets, cut off tops to 1/2 inch.  Put in a covered dish with 1/2 water or wrap in foil and bake in 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until tender. larger beets take longer.   When beets are cool enough to handle, skins should rub off with your hands.  Use a peeler if the skin is stubborn.

2. Steam beet greens. Wash and then steam beet greens 5-8 minutes.  Drain greens,  cool and coarsely chop or cut into strips, set aside.  (add cooking water to pasta cooking water for extra nutrition.  Or save for soup stock)

3. Cook and drain pasta.  Keep warm.  (Warm the serving plates too - a nice touch.)

To assemble:

Saute the chopped beet greens in some olive oil with a handful of chopped garlic scapes or some chopped onion or garlic.  Add diced beets in desired amount, along with a handful of golden raisins or even dried cherries or diced prunes.  Stir in pasta, along with some cheese.  (blue cheese, ricotta, or some kind of soft goat cheese would all be good).  Serve topped with toasted pine nuts, walnuts or hazelnuts.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Week 3 

Beet Soup (about 4 servings)

Ingredients

1 T cooking oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

about 5 medium raw beets (1 1/2 pounds) peeled and grated

1 medium carrot, peeled and grated

3 cups stock or water

Salt and pepper to taste

Serve with the soup: Diced boiled potatoes and sliced hard boiled eggs to add as desired.  Chopped fresh dill or chives too if you have this on hand.  Excellent served with a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche.  I might add a few drops of balsamic vinegar or lemon juice too.  This could be served hot or cold.

Saute onion in oil 4-6 minutes or until soft.  Add grated beets and carrots and continue to saute - about 10 minutes, medium heat.  Add stock or water and cover - simmer about 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  If desired, cool and puree in a blender or food mill.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Week 5

Beet Composed Salads

Boil or roast beets, peel and slice or dice.  Prepare bed of lettuce or cooked beet greens and dress with a little oil and vinegar or favorite vinaigrette.  (Beets have an affinity for citrus - so a dressing with a little fresh lemon, lime or orange juice would be great.)

Arrange on top of the greens:  sliced or diced beets, other vegetables such as cucumber, steamed green beans, thinly sliced onion,  carrots (raw or cooked, shredded or diced) and cooked diced potatoes.

If desired, add herbs (dill is nice); cheese (goat or blue is good); nuts;  or fruit (citrus or berries, sliced apples.)

Add some more dressing on top of these additions or serve on the side so eaters can add their own. 

When making composed salads, avoid the kitchen sink approach.  Go slowly.  Pay attention to flavors, colors and textures. You are the artist.  Proceed accordingly.  Here is one I made with raspberries, goat cheese, diced beets and toasted black walnuts.

Credit: Cook out of the Box - Focus: Beets

Vinaigrette for Beet Salads 

From the Featherstone Farm cookbook.

1 T. minced shallot

1 T. fresh lemon juice

3 T. fresh orange juice

1/2 t. Dijon (I might use 1 t.)

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Credit: Cook out of the Box - Focus: Beets

Raw Beet and Kohlrabi Salad

Grate equal parts raw beets and kohlrabi (peel vegetables first.)  Add a little grated onion if desired.  Add olive oil and red wine vinegar, a bit of sugar, salt and pepper to taste.

Optional - chopped parsley or other fresh herb, toasted sunflower seeds.

Credit: Cook out of the Box - Focus: Beets

Orange, Beet, and Fennel Salad

Adapted from Molly Katzen's Vegetable Heaven. If you don't have beets, you can make the salad with just oranges and fennel.

Ingredients

about a pound of beets - boiled or roasted, peeled and thinly sliced and cut into half moon shapes

medium fennel bulb - raw - thinly sliced

four oranges - peeled with a knife, sectioned (cut away pith and membranes, save any extra juice produced during cutting to add to salad)

1/2 t. salt

1 t. finely minced garlic

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

2 t. honey

Mix all together, gently.  Chill at least several hours.  Serve garnished with chopped fennel fronds.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Week 8

Pickled Beets

Boil or roast beets until tender.  Peel.  Cut into slices or chunks.  Place beets into a clean glass jar or jars.  Make a brine with: 1 cup light brown sugar, 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup cider vinegar, 1 cup water, 1 t. whole cloves, 1 t. whole allspice, 1 cinnamon sticks.  Bring to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. 

Pour mixture over beets in the jar.  Cover and refrigerate at least one day before eating.  Will keep for many weeks, refrigerated. This brine should be enough for two quarts of pickled beets.  If it is not enough, just add a little more water and vinegar in equal parts.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Week 9

Beet and Radish Slaw

Coarsely grate equal amounts of peeled, raw beet and raw radish (peeled if necessary) - about 1 1/2 cups each.  Mix with the following dressing:

1 T. red wine vinegar

2 t. honey or sugar

2 T. walnut or olive oil

1 t. dijon mustard

1/2 t. salt

Optional - 1 T fresh dill weed

Credit: Cook out of the Box - Focus: Radishes

Cranberry Sauce for Cooked Beets

Mix 1 cup cranberry juice, 1 T cornstarch and 1 T. sugar in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil and stir until thickened.  Add 1 t. grated orange zest.  Mix with sliced or chopped cooked beets.

(Try adding some extra sugar and using this as a topping for pancakes or gingerbread)

Credit: Cook out of the Box - Focus: Cranberries

Salade Russe

Prepare relatively equal amounts of cooked diced potatoes, carrots and beets.  Add some diced fresh onion, lightly cooked peas and a little sweet pickle.  Mix with good mayonnaise - preferably homemade.  Add a little fresh or dried dill to the mayonnaise if desired.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Winter Box #2

Herring Salad 

If you like pickled herring, you will love this salad.  If you are lukewarm about herring, try this salad.  It is an acquired taste.  Great with rye crackers and some beer or even aquavit.  A deviled egg as a first course would be a nice touch. Serve the herring salad on top of a few fresh spinach leaves if you have them. 

Mix together -  in proportions appealing to you - the following items cut in a size appealing to you:

pickled herring (not the kind in cream sauce)

boiled potato

cooked beet

sweet gherkin pickle  (or dill pickle if you prefer)

onion (red is nice) or shallot

flavorful apple

a few capers if you like them

some diced red or white daikon radish for extra crunch and texture

Bind together with sour cream or creme fraiche.  Add some chopped fresh parsley and fresh dill if you have it.  Good quality dried dill would work too.  Omit parsley if you don't have fresh.  Taste.  Add a little salt and pepper if desired.  A little squeeze of fresh lemon juice or a dash of wine vinegar would be a nice touch. 

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Winter Box #4 

Last updated on March 18, 2012 by Featherstone Farm