Written by Chris Burley | 17 September 2010

Beets need boron. What’s a boron? No silly, it’s not a name you call someone you don’t like… It’s a mineral that helps beets develop deep taproots and skin tough enough to keep out the bugs. Boron is the most widely deficient minor nutrient in vegetable crop soils. It is required for protein synthesis, and increases crop yield, flower set, and vegetable quality.

So …. back to beats. Besides being famous for thriller sized crowds at Michael Jackson concerts, beets can serve as a culinary centerpiece in your home. We’re not talking about the nasty canned beets many of us have been forced to eat by Grandma as part of a childhood dinner. We’re talking about the magical root crop that is easy to grow, easy to harvest, and allows you to use the root AND the leaves for cooking. Can you ask for much more? You can bake them into chips, stir-fry them, throw em’ in soups, shred them in a salad, and use them to dye your shirt red!

Here's my favorite recipe:

Beet and Carrot Salad

3 beets (medium size)
2 carrots (large size)
1/4 cup walnut pieces (optional)
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt, pepper to your liking

1. Shred beets and carrots in food processor or with hand shredder (better workout, I prefer this!)
2. Drizzle Olive oil (1tb) and Balsamic Vinegar (1.5 tsp) and mix up.
3. Taste, add more olive oil or balsamic to your liking
4. Taste again, add walnuts on top, a dash of salt and pepper if needed.

Enjoy!

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Share a picnic with dishes from A-to-Z at a twilight picnic on Sunday, October 10, 2010 at Hayes Valley Farm in San Francisco.

Read more about edible plants in the blog post series Nibbles from the Alphabet Garden. The Alphabet Garden is an open collaboration in urban farming, art, and technology, curated by Zoey Kroll/Edible Office.

Photo by Chris Burley