Golden beets
2008 September 3
Not all beetroot are dark red. We also grow golden beetroot as an alternative to their red cousins. On the plus side, their juices don’t stain; on the minus side, we’ve found germination and growth problematic in our conditions (red beetroot are fine). We like them roasted (drizzle with olive oil, sprinke with salt and pepper, roast for 90 minutes at 200C); boiled, pureed and stirred into mashed potato; or roasted, allowed to cool and then served in salads. We ate this pair stirred into mashed potato.
I have been growing these for the last couple of years too. I don’t seem to have any problem with germination but I tend to find if I boil them they lose their colour terribly and also don’t seem as firm or flavoursome as red varieties. Instead I grate them raw in to salads, colourful, crunchy and tasty too! Perhaps I should try them roasted too as you suggest……
I boil them for a shorter time than the red ones, testing them with a fork until it just passes through the root. This pair took about 12 minutes or so.
You should definitely try them roasted—either hot or left to cool. In the latter case, try them as a salad with red onions and capers. Cut a red onion in half, then slice it very thinly. Put the sliced onion in a bowl with 100ml of extra virgin olive oil, a couple of tablespoons of salted capers (rinsed) and a couple of tablespoons of chopped chives, then toss together.
Sliced the cooled beets and arrange on four plates, slightly overlapping the slices. Place a good handful of rocket on top of the beets, then spoon the onion and caper dressing over the top. Grind a little pepper over that, and enjoy.
It’s particularly good served with baked cod.
Yum! Beetroot is a definite favourite of mine. I’ve not tried the golden ones yet but we tried white ones and they grew well and tasted good too – leaves too!
I want to try some new varieties next year – there are so many to choose from.