Beets and Beet Greens: Vegetables and Fruits for Health the Pyramid Way

Vegetables for Health the Pyramid Way
By Nellie Hedstrom, Extension nutrition specialist

Fresh beet greens are one of the first vegetables in Maine markets from the summer harvest. The nutritious, flavorful green is a welcome addition from the garden. The small beets attached to the greens are sweet and add variety to the vegetables served. Beets are good tasting fresh and canned, unlike some other vegetables.

Fresh beets are higher in nutritive value than their canned counterparts. Beets are low in calories, 44 calories for a 3/4 cup serving, and high in vitamin C and folate. The greens of the beet are also high in vitamin C, with 30 percent of the recommended daily allowance (in 1/2 cup cooked greens), and are high in vitamin A. Forty-six percent of a person’s daily requirement for vitamin A is contained in 1/2 cup of cooked greens.

Beets are available throughout the garden season. Early in the season, choose, from your garden or local farmer, the tender greens with small, immature beets (less than 1 1/2 inch in diameter). Beet greens are a delicacy and are cooked with the beet attached. As the season progresses, look for medium-sized beets that are smooth, hard and have a deep red color. Larger beets, over 2 1/2 inches in diameter, may be tough, stringy and have a woody core. Avoid soft, bruised or shriveled beets.

Mature beets can be stored without the tops for up to three weeks in a plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper. Leave the beets unwashed when storing. When cutting tops from beets, leave at least 1/2 inch of the stems and at least two inches of the tap root on the beets. If you cut closer to the beet, the color will bleed from the vegetable during cooking. If the tops are tender and you want to use them, store them separately, and use as soon as possible.

Wash beets gently before cooking, but do not pare or trim them. Breaking the skin, cutting the tap root or trimming the stem too closely will cause the color to bleed from the beets. Once cooked, run cold water over the beets to cool, and then peel by slipping the skin from them. Serve sliced, quartered, in strips, or, if small, whole. Adding an acid, such as vinegar or lemon juice, while cooking will keep them bright red.

Baking, boiling, steaming or microwaving are cooking methods to use for beets. The most popular preparation method is to boil beets. Depending on the size and age of the beets, cooking time for boiling whole beets covered in water is between 40 minutes and two hours.

One pound of small whole beets can be microwaved in 1/4 cup of liquid in 10 minutes. Baking beets whole takes longer, between 1 1/2 to two hours, but more nutrients are retained.

Some favorite ways to serve beets are seasoned with herbs, pickled and in soups or salads.

Harvard Beets

Serves 7 (5 cups).

2 1/2 pounds medium beets (5 cups)
2/3 cup unsweetened orange juice
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon margarine, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Scrub beets lightly with a brush. Cook beets, covered in water, with 1 inch of stem and the tap root intact. Cover, and simmer for 40 minutes or until tender. Drain, peel and cut into 1/4 inch slices. Set aside. Combine juice, vinegar and margarine in a bowl. Combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a large saucepan. Gradually add juice mixture, stirring with a wire whisk until blended. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add beets, stirring gently to coat. Cook 4 minutes or until heated through. Serve warm.

Nutritional content per serving:
102 calories
2 g protein
22 g carbohydrates
1 g total fat
.3 g monounsaturated fat
.4 g polyunsaturated fat
3.5 g dietary fiber
22 RE vitamin A
96 micrograms folate
18 mg vitamin C
28 mg calcium
1.3 g iron

Borscht Soup

Serves 8.

1 tablespoon olive oil
2/3 cup onion, chopped
4 cups water
2 cups fresh beets, peeled and diced
2 cups potato, peeled and diced
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon dill seeds
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups nonfat buttermilk
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt

Put oil in a large saucepan and cook onion over medium heat for 5 minutes or until tender. Add 4 cups water and the next 6 ingredients; stir well. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour or until beets are tender. Place one-third of mixture in a blender; cover and process until smooth. Pour puree in a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining mixture. Stir in buttermilk. Cover and chill. To serve, ladle into individual soup bowls; top with yogurt.

Nutritional content per serving:
119 calories
4 g protein
21 g carbohydrates
2.2 g total fat
1.4 g polyunsaturated fat
1.7 g dietary fiber
2 mg cholesterol
34 micrograms folate
457 mg potassium
101 mg calcium

For more information, contact your University of Maine Cooperative Extension county office.

Published and distributed in furtherance of Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914, by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, the Land Grant University of the state of Maine and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Cooperative Extension and other agencies of the U.S.D.A. provide equal opportunities in programs and employment.

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Last Modified: 08/12/08
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