Beets provide ample opportunities for disturbing inuendoic (is that a word?) puns. I’m taking full advantage. Also, discover the difference between sugar beets and beets and why you should avoid them (GMOs), drool over beet based real food recipes, and when to eat beets. Seasonality abounds while beets know no bounds. Let’s “beet off” together!
*Listen below, find me on Zune, in the Windows Phone Marketplace or 
Sugar Beet Links:
GE Sugar Beets via cban (Canadian Biotechnology Action Network)
Sugar Beets via GMO Compass
Beet Recipe Links:
Garden Beet Gnocchi & Creamy Soft Chevre
Chocolate Beet Cake (via Peggy @ My Fiance Likes it So It Must Be Good)
Chocolate Beet Cake (via me @ Taste Buds)
Roasted Beet Salad with Hazelnuts & Goat Cheese
* I’ve been notified that the album artwork will show up shortly in the store. iTunes has a bug on their end and are working to fix it. The good news though, is when you download the show onto your computer or device, you WILL see the cover! Exciting!
Real beets have real beet greens, and I love beet greens nearly as much as I love wee Oliver, the wiener dog who has captured my heart. My heart is drawn to beet greens and I cannot wait to get some from my CSA farm share. I have to say even though I just finished up a week of beet dishes I prefer the greens to the roots, but I eat them anyway.
http://www.forvo.com/word/chioggia/ we both learned something today!
Listening to you chat about canning reminds me of your canning wish list-tomatoes. Can some tomatoes. It’s so damn easy, really it is. I’ve gotten boxes of “seconds” tomatoes from a pick your own orchard, I’ve arranged to have extra tomatoes (like, 40 pounds extra) at pick up from my CSA farmers, and I’ve planted prolific plants that provide me with weekly tomato canning opportunities. Last year I expanded from mere crushed tomatoes into tomato sauce (plain and seasoned) salsa, and tomato jam. And green tomatoes and salsa verde.
I have a beef with the idea of “roasting” beets. To me, roasting doesn’t involve wrapping in foil (my method for beets) or a covered roasting pan like you mention (my roasting pan doesn’t come with a lid, actually). But when I tried to “roast” beets like I roast potatoes or chicken, oiled and uncovered in the oven, the beet just shriveled up and was gross. I’m going with ‘oven steamed’ at this point.
Pink fingers don’t phase me-I guess I just dig around in the worm bin and then my hands are merely filthy.
True that Kirsten! I love beet greens! My attempt at a green smoothie (using beet greens) did not work out so well and I totally should have talked about that in the podcast but I think I just need a better blender. All that being said, you should definitely put beet greens on a pizza when they show up in the CSA. They’d be very rustic!
I’ll definitely be canning tomatoes. This year might not work out for growing - by the time I move back West it’ll be June already and I’m not even sure if we’ll have an outdoor space but I can patronize the heck outta the farmer’s markets and make a shit ton of canned toms. Mmmmmmm… yes.
P.S. I totally had you in mind when I started talking about roasting beets. I couldn’t remember our exact convo but knew you had a thing against tinfoil. And you’re totally right. Tin foil does not a roast beet make.
P.P.S. YOU ARE AMAZING!!! Now I can say “chioggia” and not sound like a knob!!
Jamie has a recipe for BBQing beets, but when I did it I didn’t own a charcoal burning BBQ. I keep meaning to get one! Anyways, he suggests you wrap your raw beets in their leaves and some rosemary, wrap the whole thing in tin foil, poke a few holes and place it in the coals of a BBQ to smoke until you can insert a knife through easily.
Here’s my lame attempt at this recipe, where I boiled the beets.
http://cookingjamie.blogspot.ca/2011/08/beet-salad.html
I know, I know, there are so many better ways to prepare them! My personal favourite (because it’s easy and involves no cooking) is to use a speed peeler to shave them into little beet slivers, then marinate them in balsamic vinegar & olive oil, with a little salt & pepper. Then serve this up over buttered toast with some lettuce & feta cheese over the top. This also works when they are larger and tougher than is ideal. Like right now.
http://cookingjamie.blogspot.ca/2013/07/its-too-hot-to-cook.html
And hey, I didn’t know how to pronounce “chioggia” either! So kudos to the comment about that!
I enjoyed listening to this, so kudos to you as well.
LISA!!!! You are amazing!! Thank you so much! As soon as I’m back on the coast, I’m gonna BBQ the heck outta those beets! I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.
PS. Your beet salad has me smiling. As does your beet open faced sammy!
<--- see?!
PPS. Thank you for listening!! It means the world to me Lisa!
I can’t stand beets but I cracked up at the title, lol. Love it! New follower!
haha - great to have you as part of the community love!!
Kristy, I am going through all of your earlier podcasts - and having a great time
I love that you talk so enthusiastically about different ways to cook veggies other than the stupid boiling! Veggies are amazing, and interesting, and complex… They can be the star of the dish, not just the garnish.
I also don’t know how to get rid of beet color, but I know it can be used to dye fabric or other things - at least it can be turned it into something useful
BTW, as a native Italian speaker, awesome pronunciation of the word “gnocchi”! A+
Paolo (@quatrofromaggio) recently published…Shrimp, Zucchini and Saffron Linguine
hahahahahahaha Oh Paolo!! 99% of the time, veggies should never be boiled. The only time I REALLY boil anything is potatoes. Or corn on the cob. Blanch? Sure. But never boil. Vegetables are just too good to be subjected to such blasphemy! 😉
PS. I may not be able to say Arugula in the right accent, but give me carbs? A+ every time baby! haha
So glad you’re enjoying my show!! I have yours on the list for once I get back from a wedding this week/weekend. Baited. Breath.
Haha, yes - potatoes are OK, I just don’t think of them as veggies
I share your love for carbs, btw 
Enjoy your week-long wedding!
Paolo (@quatrofromaggio) recently published…Four Years of Blogging, One of Podcasting