Foodie Friday: The joys of the harvest

Beets are a very versatile vegetable

As the days get shorter and crisper, my thoughts turn to the kitchen more. The ground has frozen where I live, I have pulled everything from my garden and now have a bounty of root vegetables to use. Beets have been a favorite of mine since I was a child and I’m glad that my own children seem to love them, too. Beets are a very versatile vegetable that are relatively easy to prepare. As my fellow dietitian colleague says, “you can’t beat beets!” They have an earthy sweet taste when roasted, or a lighter taste when boiled and chopped, or pickled or grated and added to a salad.  However, one of my favorite ways to eat beets is how my mom (and her mom) used to make them as harvard beets; my own children love them this way too. How do you like to eat your beets?

Harvard Beets

Ingredients:

• 2 cups diced cooked beets (canned beets work too)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 Tbsp corn starch
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup water or beet juice if using canned beets
• 2 Tbsp vinegar
• 2 Tbsp margarine or butter

Instructions:

1. Mix the sugar, corn starch and salt in a sauce pan.
2. Add in the vinegar and water (or beet juice) and bring to a boil.
3. Stir in the margarine.
4. Add in the beets and cook until warm.