It took many years to appreciate their flavor, but now I can’t go long without these brilliantly colored, pungently earthy, yet sweet veggies in my diet. Sliced, diced, sautéed, roasted, grated - there are so many ways to enjoy these nutrient rich roots - and the leaves are pretty delicious too!
Let’s talk about health benefits. Beets (and their greens) are rich in folate, potassium, magnesium, zinc, copper, vitamins A,C, K, lots of antioxidants and they’re anti inflammatory. Their intense coloring comes from chemical compounds known as Betalains - naturally occurring pigments of red violet and yellow orange. More than just visually appealing, Betalains help draw toxins out of the body. Some studies suggest beet juice as a cure for hangover symptoms.
Beets have another super power - they are vasodilators: high levels of Nitric Oxide help broaden your blood vessels so oxygen flows more easily throughout your body. Whoa! Make way for Mrs. Frizzle and the Magic School Bus!
But still, there are beet lovers and beet…rejecters. They are a vegetable that can smell and taste just like the ground they were pulled from. That acute wet soil scent is due to a chemical called GEOSMIN which humans are particularly sensitive to. It’s that just after a rainfall smell (makes me think of summer just typing about it). Theory suggests it’s an early development to help guide us to a water source - wet soil means water nearby! Whatever the reason, we are so highly responsive to it, we can register the scent at a ratio as low as
5 parts per TRILLION!
-according to Jo Robinson, health writer and author of Eating on the Wild Side.
That’s a strength of smell even your favorite candle store couldn’t match!
If you don’t find that scent particularly appetizing - not to worry! Cooking your beets will release the natural sugars (they have the highest concentration of any vegetable) and if you throw in an acid - balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, or give this recipe a try - it will significantly reduce any hint of soil before dinner time.
It all depends on your threshold for dirt!
Sources: Fact Retriever - Beet Facts, Just Beet It - Hate Beets? Science Has the Answer, ThoughtCo - Can You Smell Rain?, Food Revolution - Benefits of Beets, Healthy Beeter - Betalain, What Is It?
I never miss a morning without my beets.
I love beets (and especially love the geosmin smell/taste (which is actually released by the trillions of microbes in soil). Unfortunately, it seems that the Nitric Oxide in beets that is supposed to be helpful rather than harmful, actually raises my BP. So I have to eat them in small amounts :(
I LOVE beets & have grown them successfully for years. Can’t do it anymore no matter what soil I plant the seeds in. 🙁.
I did not like beets when I was a child; I guess the taste was too strong for my tastebuds. After I grew up, married and started an organic garden, I planted beets, wow! Nothing is better than fresh picked from the garden. We love them! Hot as a side dish or cold sliced in a salad, beets are a favorite.
Several years ago got a much larger pack of Early Wonder from you. They grew fab with. great greens that mixed well with other greens too. The next year I ordered and the pack was itty-bitty. The first pack was enough for a thickly planted 80 foot raised bed row. The next seed pack was enough for about 10 feet.. Can you make some exceptions and provide a larger pack maybe 3 or 4 ounces? Always enjoy your best seeds on the market.