Beets, Leeks, Bacon, and Blue Cheese Salad
Beets (roots and greens) contain powerful antioxidants that protect cell health and are a rich source of folate, which helps prevent heart disease and stroke.
In Season: Beets
Earthy, wonderfully sweet, and nutritious, the humble beet deserves better than its reputation for turning small fingers (and anything else it touches) bright red. This holiday season, set the record straight: Put aprons on the youngsters and ask their help in prepping a dinner that features beets. If the chance to colorize their fingers doesn’t sell those kids, the tender sweetness of the beets will. —Marisa Procopio
season:
Available for most of the year, beets are best from summer through early winter.
at the market:
Choose beets that are heavy, firm, and free of cracks. If the leaves are still attached, they should look healthy and green.
store:
Keep fresh beets in the crisper of your refrigerator.
wash:
Rinse well under running water to remove lingering soil. (Beets are roots, after all!).
cook:
Beets are versatile: They’re at home in both hot and cold dishes and are delicious roasted, steamed, or thinly sliced raw. With their lovely colors and hearty flavor, beets also make an ideal winter soup.
history:
Initially cultivated in the Middle East for their greens, beets were later grown for their roots and use as a sweetener as well.
fun fact:
Deep carmine-red is the most common beet color, but the vegetable is also available in golden, pink, white, and candy-cane (!) striped varieties.
DO YOU KNOW:
- Beets (roots and greens) contain powerful antioxidants that protect cell health and are a rich source of folate, which helps prevent heart disease and stroke.
- A splash of good-quality balsamic vinegar over beets is a sweet-and-sour marvel.
- George Washington grew beets at his home in Mount Vernon, as did Thomas Jefferson at Monticello.
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