Beet greens and ends

We’ve gotten a few beets in our CSA box the last couple of years. They (shamefully) were left in the fridge for too long of a time and then sneakily thrown out. They seemed too much work, they taste like dirt (right? That’s what they say?), and they are too messy.

Our last CSA box contained two beets. I was determined to cook them. My husband might not eat them, but I would at least prepare them. Instead of heating up the whole house on a hot day and roasting them in the oven, I opted to boil them. I cut the ends off, scrubbed them with a vegetable brush, and popped them into a pot of boiling water.

Beets being boiled

I cooked them for about 45 minutes (until they were fork tender) and let them cool on the cutting board. I skinned them and chopped them into tiny pieces. I figured the smaller I cut them the easier they would be to eat in a salad. I wish I would have tried them before I cut them up into baby pieces!

I placed a tiny beet square in my mouth. It didn’t taste like dirt. It tasted good! Actually, it kind of tasted like corn. I added some garlic powder and salt and I was looking forward to eating it on top of salads. My husband, who had only canned beets, took some coaxing to try them. He was pleasantly surprised that he liked them and thought they tasted like corn as well. I even got my mother-in-law to try them (who isn’t a very adventurous eater and thought they would taste like dirt as well) and she liked them too.

I might roast them in chunks with some butter next time. I haven’t bought vegetables at the grocery store for a while now, but I am craving some beets! Plus they are good for you! I want to try them raw in juice as well.

I wish we hadn’t been so reluctant to try them sooner. Don’t be scared of trying beets!