I got this in my CSA box and I'm not sure what it is. I thought they were rutabaga until I peeled one and it was red inside. Are they really big beets? OK, I cut it open and I'm pretty sure it is a big beet. Aren't they hard and woody when they get this big? What do I do with huge beets? I was really hoping they were rutabaga, I had a plan for those. I sure feel dumb.
9 comments:
Yup, those are beets. My grandma used to peel 'em, slice 'em, boil (or steam)'em and drench them with butter. They're not bad really. People also pickle them or make soup with them. There are like 3 pages of recipes in my CSA cookbook called "From Asparagus to Zucchini". If you'd like, I can email them to you.
I just slice them up in little chuncks, spray with a little olive oil and sprinkle salt, pepper and maybe dill on them, and bake at 250 for 45 minutes or so. Then I eat them right there in the pan at the stove like candy. And don't forget to eat the greens. Sautee, steam, boil or just chop and toss in salad.
Definitely beets. I had a bunch like that and I pickled them and canned them. I just boiled them until they were soft. The peels came right off in cold water. Then, I sliced and pickled them and sealed the jars. We've already opend one jar. Delicious - although my older daughter said they tasted like pickled dirt ;). I guess it's an acquired taste.
I should have had the greens, too ;), but I ended up feeding them to the rabbit. He was happy ;). Pattie's recipe for them sounds really yummy, though ;).
Beets me! Ooh, sorry - somebody had to say it.
They're beets - probably bulls blood beets. We have found that beets can get large very quickly, particuarly when the weather is still warm. We steam them, like farm mom, or we roast them: cut them in half if they're big, coat them with olive oil and salt, lay them on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper, and roast them at 450 for about 45 minutes. You can either leave the skin on (which we tried this week - and posted about - it worked), or peel the skin off, by holding the roasted beet in a towel and rubbing the skin off. It should come off pretty easily.
Also, steamed or sauteed beet greens are very tasty and healthy!
yes, the beet greens are awesome but beware the stems, some how the beet is sweet and the leaves are tangy (like chard) but the stems tend to be bitter.
Thanks guys! I'd just never seen a beet that big! It is bigger than a large potato. I'm researching ideas of what to do with them. My husband can't eat anything soft or mushy. Do these get soft when baked? Unfortunately, the greens have already gone bad since I didn't know what they were, but I get so many greens in my CSA box already it isn't a big loss.
I love beets. I'm a big fan of roasting. It really brings out the sweetness of beets.
Oh, beets! How I miss fresh beets. We boil ours, pickle and can them. My 2 oldest daughters and I literally fight over them. Thanks for the comment on my blog (Are We There Yet), I love yours and love to see another blog about eating locally and CSA's.
Did you join NaBloPoMo? and if so, you should join my Small Farmers group! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, email me and I'll tell you about it.
Have a great day!
You can even roast them whole, although it takes a while with big ones. Our CSA has a lot of tasty beet recipes.
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