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Sunday, December 1, 2013

Can't beet a root #openslather

Boggy is known for his 'dad joke' sayings. 'You can't beet-a-root', is one of those. It's said when the fact that beetroot is on the dinner plate, comes up in conversation at the table. Probably not appropriate in front of posh company.




Izzy has confidently come out with it at our tea time in a matter-of-fact way, being quite pleased with herself. Little dag.

With the onset of warmer weather, a can of beetroot is always in the pantry. I serve it up with salads, we all love it except for Izzy, so in her case you CAN beet a root(vegetable that is)! Even Summer has a go at it.

I've tried to grow them before with not much success. I'm having another go with some heirloom beetroot seedlings I got from my brother in law. I think they are different colours to the normal beetroot. If nothing else goes right, at least I can use the leaves in salads.

If you're into companion planting they grow well with onions, silverbeet, lettuce, cabbage and dwarf beans, but not well with taller beans.

I have mine growing in a wine barrel with a cherry tomato, well see how they go.



I got some off Mum that she's just pulled up and put them in jars.

Bake for two hours at 180 degrees in a tray covered with foil. Put the bigger ones around the outsides of the tray and the smaller ones in the middle. Let cool in the tray.

With gloves on, peel and slice or quarter, however you like them.

Put the slices into cold sterilised jars. To sterilise jars I put them in a 150 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Always put cold into cold jars and hot into hot jars, you might crack or shatter the glass otherwise.

Take a cup of liquid, use any juice from the pan, if any, with water.
Mix with one cup of vinegar.
Pour this into the jar to cover the beetroot.
I chucked a bay leaf in each jar with two peppercorns as well. 

You may have to make more depending on how much you have to jar.

Keep the jars in the fridge.

Are you a beetroot fan? How do you love to eat yours?

10 comments:

  1. Thanks for the canning recipe. I have a few more beetroot coming up but they aren't growing really big. They did make a nice chutney though. Nice when you get free vegetables given to you! :)

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    1. Mum is a good veggie grower and always grows too much for just her and dad! Free ones are always good and I love using them!

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  2. I love beetroot, I definitely agree - you can't beet-a-root! LOL! I've never canned them or grown them before though. I am seriously impressed, as always, about your gardening knowledge. I don't know the first thing about companion planting. I love the image of the beetroot growing in the wine barrel with the cherry tomato.

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  3. I've had a go at bottling beetroot (unfortunately store bought fresh beetroot, not home grown) and I love it. I do my beets hot by cooking them, peeling them, quartering or slicing them then quickly putting them in jars with a hot mixture of water, vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, salt and pepper. Wonderful!

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  4. I love beetroot! Love it nice and cold in a salad but I've also started roasting them, love them in a cold roast vegetable salad!

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  5. Oh, I hope ours are as lovely as yours when they're ready to come out :) Lovin' the dad joke btw!

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  6. So mum is the BEST ever bottler, of everything, but especially BEET ROOT! We had it on every salad I can remember! You are one of a kind - One muzza chook! EM xxx

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  7. I like the Golden Circle tinned beetroot but that is the only one. However, having said that, it's not a REAL hamburger UNLESS there's beetroot on it!

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  8. I love beetroot on a hamburger- but only from a can. I wouldn't know what to do if you handed me the vegetable!

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  9. The first time I picked beetroot, I did it wrong. I peeled them and picked them just as they were in vinegar (I thought to use a similar picking method as I did with cucumbers) and they turned out awful. I know better now! Haven't attempted a second beetroot pickling since then, but I might try again after reading this. I love their sweet and tart taste, even though I always have a fear of getting stained by one of them!

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