28 Jun 2011

Beetroot babies

Beetroot babies

After yesterday's heat (33 degrees in London, apparently - a scorcher for the UK and quite uncomfortable - could do with a good thunderstorm to freshen the air), it was very pleasant to pop down to the veg patch in the evening (it would have been nicer if the flying ants weren't around).  The beet leaves have doubled in size over the past couple of weeks so I had a bit of a poke around to see how the roots are doing and saw that one or two have grown to golf ball sized and decided to pull them.  I didn't thin them this year, fully intending to lift the baby beets for eating by way of allowing the others more room to grow. (Monty D's influence, again!) I can't tell you which ones are which because, having planted three varieties in straight lines, a fox (probably) rummaged in the bed, scattering the seeds whilst digging.  The bright pink globes I know are Chioggia which have beautiful pale and dark pink rings.  The others could be Cheltenham Greentops or Perfect 3.  I'm leaning towards the Cheltenham because of the position in the raised bed, but I really wanted to do a taste test on the fully-grown vegetable and now won't know for sure; I wonder if I re-sowed now whether the crop would mature by autumn?

10 comments:

  1. You can't beet baby beetroot!

    I love them served warm with coleslaw and plentiful salad.

    Martin :)

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  2. I am still sowing beetroot...can do till end of June I think. Looking forward to catching you at the farm with little blue eyes again! Lucy

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  3. Lovely beetroot - the first of many. I picked my first at the weekend and made a warm salad with beetroot, peas, new potatoes and lettuce from the garden tossed it with flaked smoked mackerel then drizzled a horseradish dressing over it. Does that or does that not sound good - it was!

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  4. Martin, Love the pun, haha! I'm totally with you on serving baby beets warm - I usually eat them straight from the pan!

    Thanks for the advice Lucy, sounds like you've got successional sowing sorted! I'll give it a go and get some more seeds in (I can fill the gaps!). See you soon!

    Elaine, I love the sound of your salad, I bet it's a visual treat too! I'm especially taken with your horseradish dressing. Recipe please!

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  5. I do like picking them young too - once I've had a few leaves for salad as well. We've been having them raw cut into match stick sized pieces - or Julienne'd if we're being posh about it ;>)

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  6. Hi Rob, raw beetroots? Hmm, interesting... I haven't tried them like that (I started to like beets a couple of years back and still like them warm and cooked). A friend of mine likes the chioggia thinly sliced and dressed. Might give your way a go with the others though - I'll try anything once!

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  7. You're doing much better with beetroot than I am this year!
    Yes sow more now and they should be golf ball sized in eight/ten weeks, or can be left to grow bigger. Flighty xx

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  8. Thanks for the advice Flighty! Golf ball beetroots at the end of August and into September - sounds good to me! I'll resow both the Cheltenham and Perfect 3, that way I should still be able to do the taste test and know what to grow next year. Are you going to sow some more? Caro x

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  9. My beetroot isn't ready yet, but I can't wait. I love it roasted in the oven and eaten warm. I'm going to sow some more this weekend, even if they don't grow to full size they should be big enough to pull.

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  10. Hi Jo, It's a good feeling to have some more waiting for the end of the summer while you're enjoying the first cooked harvest. I hadn't thought about sowing beetroot twice until now but will definitely do so again next year.

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