Beets are a member of the goose-foot family whose leaves resemble webbed feet. They are related to chard, spinach, purslane and Quinoa and until the 2nd century only the greens were eaten. By the third century, cooking the root was discovered and gave the widely used cabbage some stiff competition in popularity. Beets are believed to have originated in the Mediterranean and spread west to east hitting China by the seventh century. Here in the US beets came with the early settlers and today they are grown in 31 states with California, Ohio, New Jersey and Texas as the main producers.

Over 1800 known beet varieties exist on the planet with most of them growing wild throughout the Mediterranean. Several varieties are available from seed catalogs with one unusual green variety that grows to the size of a medium cantaloupe.

The varieties mentioned at the beginning of this column are all varieties that we find in the stores today with Detroit Red and the Ruby Queen being the most popular.

When I was a kid in Vermont my mother grew beets in our garden and cooked the tops as well as the roots. I loved beets, but I loved the greens even more. I couldn’t get enough of the earthy, buttery, nutty flavor of a pot of beet greens cooked up. When I became a teen and took a job at the local produce stand here in town, I couldn’t believe the amount of customers that would ask me to tear the greens off of a bunch of beets and toss them away. I would try to convince them that the greens were absolutely delicious to eat. Some took the greens and tried them while others didn’t want anything to do with them. Those customers were secretly my favorites, because in the back room of the store was a box that I stashed the greens in and at the end of the night those greens went home with me to cook up for dinner.

Gold beets are milder in flavor and bleed less than red ones. They make a beautiful presentation especially when mixed with red beets on a plate. The greens on gold beets are entirely green and just as edible. Chioggia or Candy Striped Beets are lighter red in color, almost pink. When cut they reveal alternating white and red rings that resemble peppermint candy. The beet has a smooth, mild peppery flavor and the greens are just as tasty. The Bulls Blood Beet is an heirloom variety that is deep red in color with deep red leaves. Both of these are absolutely delicious and the greens are tender and sweet in salads when young. The beet is also tastier when in the younger stage. In fact, micro and baby Bulls Blood leaves are a favorite amongst chefs in high end restaurants. All of these varieties are available in the “baby” stage, but mostly in food service. However sometimes retailers will carry baby beets if the clientele supports it.

Beets of all varieties are great in salads, soups and juiced. Beets can be cooked by boiling on the stove, roasting in the oven, or my favorite method is to place them on the barbeque grill after everything else has cooked and the coals have burned down. I leave a mixed assortment of varieties on for an hour or so depending on how far down the coals have burned. Turn them a few times to get all sides. It roasts them slowly to let the sugars really stand out and you get full use of the coals. Beets are far easier to peel once roasted. Of course I wait until they are cooled. A bowl full of roasted beets lasts a good week in the refrigerator.

When selecting beets in the store, look for beets that are firm and round. Keep away from slimy or flabby beets. Red beets should have a deep red color and be smooth over most of the surface; Gold beets should be a deep vibrant gold. Keep away from gold beets with dark or black sunken spots, they’re old. Chioggia and Bull blood and all other varieties should be selected similarly. The greens should be fresh, not wilty and free from decay. If you are choosing them for the root only then the condition of the greens doesn’t matter.
Beets are good source of vitamin C, folate and potassium. The greens are a high source of Vitamins A and C as well as Iron, Beta-Carotene and Calcium.
Today after 30 years in the produce business I find myself back in the retail game and folks still ask me to remove the greens. I still try to convince them to at least give them a try and some do, but tucked away in the back room is a little box that sometimes, by the end of the day is filled with luscious greens that end up on my dinner plate.