Beautiful Beets!

We spent Sunday morning pulling beautiful beets from the middle garden box. As usual we didn't thin them as much as we should have. Ideally, you should leave three to four inches between each plant. We'll try to harvest the remaining beets when they are about 2 inches wide. It has been nice to use the colorful baby beet greens in our salads. I also use the older beet tops as "greens" and cook them with my spinach or stir-fry them with some garlic and ginger. One of my favorite foods is pickled beets. I remember my grandma's basement pantry being filled with the garnet colored jars. I will definitely look for her recipe and try it out for myself. You can also roast your beets in the oven or grate them raw over a salad. I love the earthy taste that they add to my meals. Beet roots have the highest sugar content of any vegetable, they are also high in fiber and vitamin C. The greens are even better for you, having high amounts of vitamins A and C. This year I planted Early Wonder and Detroit Dark Red. Next year I'd love to try growing a golden beet. Wouldn't that look amazing on a salad tossed with some feta cheese, walnuts and a little raspberry vinaigrette dressing!