Basic beets

It's really quite amazing to remember my struggling beet days. When Dustin and I first signed up for the CSA box a couple years ago, we were thrust into a world of root vegetables: oftentimes, beets.

I am now a full blown beet fan. It's a regular favourite of mine to order at a restaurant. (The salted baked beets at Bannock are fantastic.)

This year, two beet plants survived in our garden. The seeds are cute little clusters. Somehow I thought each cluster would yield a few beets... No, one seed cluster equals one beet. Hence, two beets from our garden this year.


At home, I keep it simple: boiled and seasoned. It always turns out great and leaves so many options for adding extra flavours.

I start by boiling the washed, unpeeled beets. Depending on the size, it takes 30 or 40 minutes. When fork tender, drain and peel when they are cool enough to handle. Dice/chop to desired size.




While the beets are still warm, add a generous splash of seasoned rice vinegar (also known as sushi rice vinegar). I like to use Marukan brand.

Serve chilled or at room temperature.



That's it! This basic recipe is how I usually eat my beets at home. I've added tarragon, thyme, cashews, and even sour cream.  I bet some horseradish would be delicious.

For all those beet skeptics, I really think this is the way to eat beets.  The tang in the vinegar really balances the earthy beet flavour.  If you don't have seasoned rice vinegar, use apple cider vinegar. It's equally tasty and would pair well with some diced apples!