Beetroots, commonly known as beets, can be your body’s superhero. This versatile vegetable offers many health benefits when it becomes a regular part of your diet. An added bonus for growing them in your garden is the whole plant can be eaten, leafy greens and the taproot. The only drawback to these earthy, flavorful gems is their ability to stain your fingers.
Beets contain a little of almost all the vitamins and minerals your body needs and are low in calories. Beside fiber, they contain folate, manganese, copper, potassium, magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and Iron. Folate helps to play a major role in heart health, and growth and development. Manganese supports bone formation and brain function and copper gives a body energy. This is just the beginning of the superpower boost one can get from eating beets.
The high concentration of nitrates can help lower your blood pressure and may improve athletic performance. Beetroot juice , when consumed 2 to 3 hours prior to a highly physical exercise, could enhance endurance and oxygen intake and take longer to become exhausted. Beets also contain anti-inflammatory properties.
Beetroots are also a good source of fiber, which aids in digestion, thereby reducing the risk of some chronic conditions such as diabetes and improving colon health. Those nitrates dilate blood vessels which increase blood flow to parts of the heart and brain.
Beets contain water and fiber and protein but are also low in calories. This could aid in diet quality and supplying energy to your body.
Give this superhero of food a try
If you’ve never tried beets, please consider giving this superhero a try. There are many ways to prepare beets. They can be eaten raw by grating them in salads or coleslaw. If you own a juicer, you could make your own beet juice. The store-bought versions of beet juice may contain a lot of sugar so it is healthier to make your own.
The leaves are very healthy and can be made the way spinach is prepared. I add a bit of garlic and water in a large pan and steam the leaves for a few minutes. They wilt down considerably and then I add a dab of olive oil and black pepper.
My favorite way to prepare beets is to roast them. The flavor is intensified to almost being a delicacy. Beets can also be boiled but boiling will reduce the amount of nitrates that remain in the root. Pickled beets are available at the grocery store and they bring a whole different flavor to the palate.
Even more power to the beet: They are easy to grow. Beets should be planted from seed clusters. Beets can be planted very early in the spring several weeks before the last frost date and should be kept consistently moist to germinate. It may be a good idea to soak the seeds in water the night before planting to aid in quicker germination. A second planting can be done in late summer because beets can tolerate temperatures as low as twenty degrees.
Once the beets have germinated you will have to thin them out so that you have about 9 plants per square foot. The advantage to thinning is that you can eat the tops! Beets prefer to grow in full sun. If you have a shady area, you can still grow beets but the taproots will be smaller and the tops will be fuller.
Beets are disease- and pest-resistant
You get to decide when to harvest the beets, anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks. For baby beets measuring 1 to 2 inches in diameter, harvest when the root is just popping out of the ground. Beets can be kept in the ground until the root measures 4 to 5 inches across; about one third of the root will be sticking out of the ground. No worries, though, beets are pest- and disease-resistant, nor do they need any pruning or staking. Another super power quality.
Try any of the many varieties of red and yellow beets. Their scientific name is Beta vulgaris. Once you’ve had them roasted you will be putting them on your list for planting in early Spring 2023.
Roasted beet recipe: Wash and peel beets and cut into wedges. Toss them with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast them in a 400-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes until tender.
Beets can also be made into chips by thinly slicing them and tossing them with olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake them for 10 to 15 minutes in a 400⁰ F oven. Other seasonings may be added to either of these recipes.
Linda Twarek is a Master Gardener with the Ohio State Extension Offices in Ottawa and Sandusky counties.
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