THE MAINE MARKET BASKET

 A weekly news service for promoting 

 Maine's healthy, local and seasonal

 foods.

Featured crop: Beets

There's something about beets that pleases the body and soul.  It could be their rich red color or their naturally sweet, earthy taste.  Whatever it is, when you eat a dish with beets in it, you can't help but feel like you've done something good for yourself.

Yet, beets are not as popular as they once were.  There was time in Maine when you would have had a hard time finding a cupboard that didn't have a couple of jars of homemade pickled beets tucked in the back for safekeeping.

If beets have fallen out of favor, it's because they require a little bit of beet know-how and a few minutes more than most people are prepared to give to their dinner preparation. 

There are some delicious and easy recipes, though, that are well worth learning.  Once you've mastered a couple of these dishes, you'll soon discover that when it comes to flavor, beets are hard to beat!

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Shopping info:

Beets are a root vegetable with edible tops.  Although the quality of the greens does not necessarily reflect that of the roots, look for tops that are a healthy bright green as a sign of freshness.  The best greens are young ones.

Choose small or medium-sized beets whose roots are firm, smooth-skinned and deep in color. Avoid beets that have soft spots or bruises or ones that appear old and dried out. 

Store beets unwashed in the refrigerator crisper where they can keep for up to four weeks. To prepare any root  vegetable for storage - whether beets, carrots, or turnips - cut the majority of the greens and their stems from the roots so that the greens will not pull away moisture away from the root. Leave about 1-2 inches of the stem attached. 

 

Preparation info:

One of the first lessons of handling beets in the kitchen is learning just how powerfully red they are.  Beet juice can stain your hands, dish towels, and wooden cutting boards, so organize your workspace accordingly. 

Beets can prepared in many different ways including sautéing (4-8 minutes for grated beets), boiling (20-25 minutes for 2-3 inch beets), and roasting (50-60 minutes for foil-wrapped beets at 350ºF).

Beets should be washed but not peeled before cooking, with the exception of grated beets which need to be peeled first.  If you don't like the taste of boiled beets, try roasting them for a change.  Roasting root vegetables brings out their natural sweetness.

Featured Recipe:

Sautéed Grated Beets
 

This is one of the fastest and simplest recipes for beets.  The addition of lemon or orange juice helps keep the beets' bright red color.

Ingredients:
5 medium-size beets (roughly one pound)
2 tablespoons of butter or margarine

2 tablespoons of lemon or orange juice

salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1) Peel and grate the beets using a hand grater or food processor.
2) Melt the butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the beets and stir gently so that they are coated in margarine or butter.  Add one tablespoon of orange or lemon juice, cover, and turn down to low heat.  Stir occasionally to insure that the beets are not sticking.  After three to four minutes, add the second tablespoon of juice.  Cook until tender but not mushy, 6-9 minutes.

3) Remove from pan and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves 4

Did you know?

-While red beets are the most well-known, beets also come in white, golden-yellow or even rainbow colors.

-The pigment that gives beets their rich color is also a powerful cancer-fighting agent.

-Sugar beets which are white and much larger than the beets we know were once grown on a large scale in Maine for processing into sugar. 

-Beet juice stains can generally be removed with water.  Lemon juice can also be used for stubborn stains.

What else is in season?

Seasonal availability of produce in Maine varies from week to week and from one farm or farmers' market to the next.

Fresh, Maine-grown beets are available from July through October.  Maine-grown winter storage beets can be be bought direct from certain farmers or found at some natural stores from November through March.

The following items are also considered widely available statewide as of this date: salad greens, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, snap and wax beans, beets, blueberries, broccoli, beet greens, eggplant, herbs, leeks, melons, onions, potatoes, peppers, sweet corn, swiss chard, scallions, tomatoes, zucchini and summer squash.

For more info on the seasonal availability of Maine produce, see the chart posted here.

Where to buy fresh, Maine-grown foods in your area:

       Find farmers markets in your area here

         Find farmstands in your area here

        Find CSA farms in your area here

     Find local "pick-your-own" farms here

For more info about the availability of Maine food and farm products, please see: http://www.getrealmaine.com

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