I've got 3 beets in my fridge - how do I use them?

[MelanieC]

I've never bought fresh beets before. What the heck and how do I use them, prepare them.

I need to use before they spoil. I'm thinking of using them tomorrow for breakfast / lunch.

[jwoodin84]

I don't know too much about preparing raw beets, but one thing to keep in mind is that they should last up to a few months if you refridgerate them (or maybe even not?). I think that's true with most root veggies.

I guess the only thing I can think of is making raw soup with a blender, or maybe slicing it up and putting it on a salad or something. I'm sure someone else will come along with better options.

[raw_danceruk]

peel them and slice them thin with a v slicer or whatever tool you have handy

or pop them into FP and incorporate them into salad

you can put dressing on them or put them in a salad..or dehydrate like chips

[TaupeRawMan]

I have a salad I make:


2 beets
4 carrots
1/2 bunch cilantro
Juice of 2 lemons
Sea Palm (or dulse) to taste


Grate the beets and carrots in the food processor. Chop cilantro. Mix all together and wrap in collard leaves.

[spicyfull]

They are Always Good in a Smoothie or Juiced.

[MelanieC]

Ok you all are going to laugh!

Are you supposed to peeel them? These suckers were dirty but all still looked healthy. I took the greens of all 3 and the smallest beet and washed them in a collander the best I could. These suckers were absolutely dirty. Brown dirt all over them - thankfully its organic dirt, but dirt none the less. I got off the best I could.

Then I cut the beet into quarters and then cut them again and threw it in the blender. Then I added the rinsed beet leaves along with 1/2 avocado, some spinach, an apple, a kiwi and some water. Blended up and poured in my cup.

Blech - it tasted like stringy dirt. Not at all what I was hoping for.

So - what did I do wrong. Was I supposed to peel? There was a big piece from the top of the beet that didn't chop - am I supposed to cut that off?

Was it the beet leaves that were stringy?

I haven't received my vitamix yet so this was made in my Kitchen Aid blender. I was surprised at how easy it was to cut - I thought it was going to be hard as a rock. Needless to say, I threw this out. I really was tasting dirt and pulling out pieces that looked like dirt - maybe the skin?

[MelanieC]

I have a salad I make:


2 beets
4 carrots
1/2 bunch cilantro
Juice of 2 lemons
Sea Palm (or dulse) to taste


Grate the beets and carrots in the food processor. Chop cilantro. Mix all together and wrap in collard leaves.

That sounds interesting.

[Juwo]

Fermenting

wash and peel 3 medium beets
cut in slices or cubes
place in the glass jar
add a teaspoon of salt and two cloves of garlic ( garlic is essential)
pour 2 - 3 cups of cold filtered water
leave for a day and night on your kitchen counter ( look for white foam forming on the top of the liquid after 24 hours)
cover and place in the bottom shelf of your fridge for a week or a month

taste - water should be infused with taste, sour ,garlicky, salty, and the colour deep

the red juice is delicious diluted with water add diced cucumber and fresh dill!
beets after fermentation are great addition to salad - crispy, salted and softer

[Everchanging]

I peel them & cut off both ends. Peeling isn't as important when juicing them. They are great juiced with apple and parsley. They are also really good shredded with some carrot, and ginger, and whatever light dressing you want.

[qfmother]

I always peel my beets, I just thought they looked too dirty without it. I found a wonderful beet/carrot/apple slaw on the Hallelujah Acres website, we have some in our frig right now! It's not totally raw, but you could alter the ingredients as I did. Let me know if you can't find the website or the recipe and I'll work harder to find it for you.

[iluvmangos]

I just peel 'em, chop 'em, and eat 'em. I love 'em just as they are.

[juliebove]

Some people eat beet greens. I generally don't unless they are baby leaves. They're more tender. As for the beets themselves, I cut off the tops, the tips, peel them and cut into small pieces to use on salads.

Some people just think beets taste like dirt. You may be one of them.

Oh and if you don't have one, get yourself a vegetable brush. I have several. A stiff one for cleaning root vegetables, a soft one for mushrooms and a special one for removing the silk from corn.

[MelanieC]

Do you think it was the leaves that were stringy?

Hopefully when I get my Vitamix it will pulvarize them more - but drinking dirty stringy stuff was not appetizing - I also didn't feel well the day before, so maybe my stomach was still not 100% (which in the morning it wasn't) - plus my body and tongue was very acidic yesterday (a lot better today).

Definately going to get a vegetable brush - I can see where that would help.

[iluvmangos]

If you want to use it in a smoothie, maybe try grating the beet before you put it in the blender. I remember seeing a smoothie recipe online where you were supposed to peel and grate the beet first.

[anniez]

Fermenting

wash and peel 3 medium beets
cut in slices or cubes
place in the glass jar
add a teaspoon of salt and two cloves of garlic ( garlic is essential)
pour 2 - 3 cups of cold filtered water
leave for a day and night on your kitchen counter ( look for white foam forming on the top of the liquid after 24 hours)
cover and place in the bottom shelf of your fridge for a week or a month

taste - water should be infused with taste, sour ,garlicky, salty, and the colour deep

the red juice is delicious diluted with water add diced cucumber and fresh dill!
beets after fermentation are great addition to salad - crispy, salted and softer

Well, I just put it into the fridge. It smells pretty nasty! And the white stuff on the top looks icky! Is this really safe to drink/eat???

Annie

[JCB44]

I sliced them and dehydrated them and made beet chips - not bad. You can juice them with carrots. The greens are really good juiced or in a salad. grate them into a salad.

[snoops]

I just made an awesome juice with a beet, 3 red apples and a handful of frozen raspberries. Mmmm good.

[MelanieC]

Before we left on our trip last night I took one of them and peeled and sliced and put it in a smoothie. Not sure 100% I enjoy it with the beat, but I'm hoping that I enjoy these smoothies with the apples, kiwi, avocado, carrots, beets and things like this better once I get my vitamix. A little thick in my kitchen aid blender, but after adding some ice cubes I could drink.

This was my dinner last night before we left. We drove till 1am and I was starving by though by that time of night. Normally I would be sleeping by then.

[Mandy]

Are you supposed to peeel them?

when i was a kid i used to make pickled beets with my grandma. to prep the beets we soaked them in boiling water. the next step was to rub them and an outer layer of skin fell off.

from my experience, there is an outer layer on the beet kinda like an onion.

[mel_s12]

My name is also Melanie and I also have 3 beets in my refrigerator that I don't know how to use! haha

I'm thinking beet juice. Or beet and apple salad.. YUM