Food Fact Friday: Beets

 One of summer's delights from the garden is the BEET.  For years I imagined that I disliked the colorful root veggie simply because I had one solitary experience of eating the canned, cafeteria variety. (You know what I am talking about?!). 

 Hardly a suitable introduction.

I discovered their true deliciousness after speaking with a customer at the Farm Store that I worked at during college.  She raved about roasting them.  Always up for a challenge (and desperately desiring to be able to answer all the other customers' constant questions of, "so how do you cook these and what do these taste like?”) tried my hand at roasting them.  The beet-cooking customer was right… roasted beets were fabulous!

 While they admittedly can acquire an almost gelatin-like softness when cooked for an extended period time, there also is wonderful caramelization that transpires during the oven-roasting process, especially if you add some canola or olive oil before roasting.  A soft sweetness comes to the surface.  Yes, beets are a keeper for summer fare as far as I am concerned and are now a “regular” at my table. 


But lets face it.  This is summer.  Who wants to have a 450F oven roasting away for 1 hour on a hot day? You might not mind as the results are worth it to you but the not-so-enthusiastic- Beet-Tolerators in your household might not agree.   
Enter crock pot…oh saver of time, energy and sweat (in this case, your sweat of having a hot oven on for a long period of time).    The results will not be quiet as caramelize-y as the roasted method but they still produce yummy beets.  I have a nifty mini crock pot that holds 4 – 5 small/medium beets.   I encourage you to give it a try using the instructions by clicking on the graphic above.  Enjoy!

Not sure what to do with them after  you've cooked them? Try this Pink Hummus recipe from one of my favorite RD blogs!