You might remember these
Well, we picked a couple more today
and I’m beginning to feel like Mrs Noah as our produce is coming in twos.
It’s also a red letter day as our beefy beetroot was of a suitable size to be pulled according to the seed packet.
Until we bought the cottage, we’d never thought to grow any of our own produce, and had mammoth success with green beans, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, a few leeks, rhubarb and a promising swede until a visitor’s dog ate it. We tried growing tomatoes on the boat but it was a bit of a dead loss so we only tried it once.
Growing our own here is very hit and miss because the soil is lousy, but now we’ve got the greenhouse, we’ve got some green bushy things going nuts, including sprouts!
Anyway, today’s lesson was beetroot.
I’ve never cooked it and usually rely on the pickled variety, so getting a simple instructions guide off the internet, we set to.
Hubby plucked the beast from the ground, twisted off the top foliage and cut off the root.
This site said to leave around 2.5cm (about an inch) top and bottom so that it didn’t bleed during cooking, and to gently scrub the flesh to remove any dirt being careful not to tear it.
Place the beetroot in a pan and cover with water. It said to add salt but I didn’t bother, and I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t stink the house out as it was cooking.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 30-40 minutes depending on size. We only had the one and the whole bringing to the boil and simmering process took 26 minutes.
To check if done, insert a sharp knife into the flesh which should slip in easily. Perfect.
As you can see, it’s not huge, this is my holey serving spoon.
Plunge into cold water to remove the skin easily (I did, and it did)
This is 2 views of the cooked and peeled beetroot. I’ve had a slice and it is delicious, no need for salt or vinegar.
Hubby is very happy as now we can grow our own. The interesting thing is he can’t eat it.
pensitivity101 
Success story awesome. We experimenting garden as.well now that we can again
A perfect specimen. Well done!
Will be planting a couple of other ones now.
Don’t blame you.
I remember dad cooking a beetroot one time when it was given to him by a local gardener, who said like you have done, how to prep prior to cooking so it doesn’t bleed. No salt was added to that either and that’s first I have heard.
It felt like forever the beetroot cooking. But I really don’t know how long it took. It was a large one and I remember dad putting it into vinegar.
Beetroot would be something that I would like to give a go too, when one day I have a garden.
How did you know the beetroot was ready in the garden? Did you go by the shoots or did you uncover a bit, to see the size?
I’m glad you are having success with your produce. It’s been interesting and enjoyable watching your journey with it.
It seems beetroot is a bit like onions and when a certain amount is visible above the soil (about 2 to 3 inches in diameter or 5 to 7.5 cm according to the packet we have), then you pick it.
Thank you for that. 😊
you’re welcome Liz.
I love beetroot. Try it with white sesame seeds.
Wow! You did great with that beetroot Di! Enjoy it 😀
It tastes good too, so will get some salad stuff tomorrow
Love beets!
Sent from my iPad
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Beets are one of my favorites – I didn’t eat them back in my picky days, but now, I love them. I usually roast them in foil with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. The skins come right off if you rub them with a paper towel, and they taste great (so long as you don’t ask Paul, who dislikes them).
Hubby can’t tolerate them for some reason. I shall be having this one with a salad today and those 2 radishes.
Yay. I’m glad that it turned out well