Community Supported Agriculture
Beets
From our May 30th, 2011 newsletter:
Did you know that both beets and Swiss chard are different varieties within the same plant family and their edible leaves share a resemblance in both taste and texture? Although typically a beautiful reddish-purple hue, beets also come in varieties that feature white or golden roots. Beets' sweet taste reflects their high sugar content, which makes beets an important source for the production of refined sugar. Raw beet roots have a crunchy texture that turns soft and buttery when they are cooked. Beet leaves have a lively, bitter taste similar to chard. The main ingredient in the traditional eastern European soup, borscht, beets are delicious eaten raw, but are more typically cooked or pickled. The greens attached to the beet roots are delicious and can be prepared like spinach or Swiss chard. They are incredibly rich in nutrients, concentrated in vitamins and minerals as well as such as beta-carotene and lutein/zeaxanthin.
These colorful root vegetables contain powerful nutrients, concentrated in vitamins and minerals as well as such as beta-carotene and lutein/zeaxanthin. These compounds help protect against heart disease, birth defects and certain cancers, especially colon cancer. The pigment that gives beets their rich, purple-crimson color (betacyanin) is also a powerful cancer-fighting agent.
The liver is the body's primary detoxification organ where toxic substances are broken down and eliminated, a process that generates a lot of free radicals. Glutathione peroxidase and glutathione-S-transferase are the bodyguards for liver cells, protecting them from free radical attack, so they can continue to protect us. Scientists have noted that a diet high in beet fiber can produce an increase in the number of colonic CD8 cells, special immune cells responsible for detecting and eliminating abnormal cells.
Nitrates, commonly used as a chemical preservative in processed meats, form nitrosamines – a cancer-causing compound produced in the stomach. Beet juice has been found to be a potent inhibitor of the cell mutations caused by these compounds.
In aiding the fight against heart disease, beet fiber increases the protective antioxidant activity in the liver. This helps lover cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood (the harmful stuff) and helps to increase the HDL (the beneficial cholesterol) level significantly.
Beets contain betaine which helps lessen chronic inflammation. Diets that provide more than 360 mg per day of betaine have, on average 10% lower concentrations of homocysteine; 19% lower concentrations of C-reactive protein; and 12% lower concentrations of tumor necrosis factor alpha. Each of these markers of chronic inflammation has been linked to a wide range of conditions including heart disease, osteoporosis, cognitive decline and Alzheimer's, and type-2 diabetes.
Beets are particularly rich in the B vitamin Folate, which is essential for normal tissue growth. Eating Folate-rich foods is especially important during pregnancy since without adequate Folate, the infant's spinal column does not develop properly.
Now what about the Beet Greens? Don’t throw them away! One cup of Beet Greens contains zero Saturated Fat or Cholesterol. They're a good source of Protein, Folate, Pantothenic Acid, Phosphorus and Zinc, and a great source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese. In fact, one cup contains 48% of the RDA for Vitamin A and 19% of the RDA for Vitamin C. Beet greens can be used in place of cooked spinach or as a garnish.
Beets and beet greens should not be washed before storing. The greens and most of the stems should be trimmed from the beet prior to storing. Trim the stems about 2 inches above the beet to prevent "bleeding" from the beet during storage, and to keep the greens from pulling moisture out of the root.
Place beets in a plastic bag and squeeze as much air from the bag as possible before sealing. Place greens in a separate bag and do the same, squeezing as much air from the bag as you can.
Beets can maintain freshness this way for 1 to 3 weeks. Greens may last up to a week this way.
Discard beets that have become soft and/or shriveled. Discard wiltered greens, or those that do not look fresh any longer.
Raw beets that have been frozen may last up to 8 months, but will be soft after thawing, so this is not recommended. Beets that have been cooked prior to freezing will typically maintain their state quite well. Canned or pickled beets can last well over a year.