Beets

I was never a big fan of beets growing up (who was?). I only knew the jarred, neon red variety overly sour and turning your whole plate and everything on it bright red. Then, Karen introduced me to roasted beets and we started growing them. Now we love the greens of beets in salads (including the baby micro greens) or sauteed with olive oil and garlic. And, the beet root itself is terrific roasted and in a salad with goat cheese.

Beets are fairly easy to grow. They like cool weather. In fact, they are one of the first things we plant in March along with radishes on St. Joseph Day. Once beet seeds germinate, it is important to thin them out. Beets like a little space to form the root, but don't throw the thinnings away. These tiny greens are are wonderful in salads. The full root will form and be ready for harvest in about 60 days. These beets took a little longer due to the cool and wet spring. Plant beets every two weeks to ensure a continuous harvest throughout the season. Plant again in late summer to get fall beets.

There are lots of different varieties of beets and it is fun to have different colors and shapes of beets on your plate. Touchstone Gold is one of the best yellow beets that we grow at One Love Farm. My new favorite is Forono, an Italian variety that is cylindrical in shape. The shape is interesting and the taste is terrific. If you see Forono seed, pick some up and try it.