What are your farmers doing with all those beets?

by Katie Swanson

Let’s be honest – you probably have a pretty healthy stockpile of beets in your fridge at this point.  Even I, a member of the farm crew who loves vegetables very much, get a little overwhelmed when I look in my fridge and see how behind I am in my beet consumption.

We talk about food a lot on the farm and we are constantly sharing recipes and ideas with each other.  So, like always, I came to the farm crew with my beet dilemma. I asked the entire farm crew what their favorite way to eat beets is and I was so pleased with their responses; every answer was so reflective of our true love and enthusiasm we as farmers have for our vegetables.  I thought it might be inspiring to share with you, the CSA members, some beet strategies straight from the farmers.

What is your favorite way to eat or prepare beets?

Jenny (farm manager): “I like to shred them and make an Asian slaw with toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, salt, soy or tamari or just simple apple cider vinegar…or beet brownies!”

Pete (harvest manager): Pete likes to make beet burgers.  He uses his spiralizer to grind the beets.

Scott (cultivation manager): “I like two ways – Diced roasted on a bruschetta with Parmesan and borscht (a Russian red cabbage and beet soup)…Borscht is my favorite though”

Brady (propagation manager): Brady is famous for her beet chips.  She personally likes beets best when boiled and also loves her roommate’s borscht.

Nitza (irrigation manager): “Two ways – raw shredded salad or steamed and eaten cold with balsamic and maple syrup”.  She then added, “Sauerkraut!”

Bart (direct seeding manager): He likes to make cold beet salad with olive oil, goat cheese, and dill.  He also likes to roast them until they get a little shriveled and crunchy on the outside.

Laura says all her favorite recipes already on the website: http://www.47thavefarm.com/2008/10/beets-101/

Myself: I like beets sautéed in a lime cream sauce.  

These are just a few of our favorite ways to eat beets.  Don’t forget about our custom recipe site, http://www.cookwithwhatyouhave.com/47th-ave-farm-news-tips/ ,which has tons of great recipes using beets.

Happy beet eating!

The Crew