North Dakota Farm to School Harvest of the Month Beets North Dakota Harvest of the Month History of Beets (beetroot) Beetroot, botanically-known as Beta vulgaris, evolved from wild seabeet, which is a native of coastlines from India to Britain and is the ances- tor of all cultivated forms of beet. Beetroot was offered to Apollo in his temple at Delphi, where it was reckoned to be worth its own weight in silver! Sea beet was first domesticated in the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East – although it was only the leaves that were eaten at that time. Beetroot was offered to Apollo in his temple at Delphi, where it was reckoned to be worth its own weight in silver! e Romans began to cultivate it in earnest, and early recipes included cooking it with honey and wine. Apicius, the renowned Roman gourmet, included beetroot in recipes for broths and even recommended making it into a salad with a dressing of mustard, oil and vinegar in his book ‘e Art of Cooking’. In early times, the medicinal properties of the root were more important than its eating qualities and it was used to treat a range of ailments including fevers, constipation, wounds and various skin problems. At that time, the roots were long and thin like a carrot. e rounded root shape that we are familiar with today was not devel- oped until the sixteenth century and became widely popular in Central and Eastern Europe 200 years later. Many classic beetroot dishes origi- nated in this region including the fa- mous beetroot soup, known as borscht. Beetroot continued to grow in popularity in Victori- an times, when its dramatic colour brightened up salads and soups. It was also used as a sweet ingredient in cakes and puddings. A wide range of varieties was available, including “Rouge Cra- paudine” and “Mr Crosby’s Egyptian”. e plants were even used as decorative bedding because of their attractive green leaves. At this time, beetroot was still mainly grown as a winter root vegetable. More recently smaller, more tender, ‘baby’ sum- mer-grown beetroots have been developed. Aſter World War II, pickled beetroot in jars was the most widely available form of the vegetable but the vinegars could be strong and harsh - enough to put many people off beetroot for life! Beetroots come in all shapes and sizes but the most common is round and deep red in colour. Other varieties are yellow, white, and even can- dy-striped (with red and white concentric circles). e humble beetroot is sweet, earthy and tender to eat and related to the turnip, swede and sugar beet. How to Select Choose beets with firm, smooth skins and non-wilted leaves if still attached. Smaller ones are more tender. How to Store Remove leaves, leaving about an inch of the stems. Use leaves as greens- raw or cooked. Store roots in a plastic bag in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Wash before cooking. SOURCE: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=49
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North Dakota Farm to SchoolHarvest of the Month
Beets
North Dakota Harvest of the Month
History of Beets (beetroot)Beetroot, botanically-known as Beta vulgaris, evolved from wild seabeet, which is a native of coastlines from India to Britain and is the ances-tor of all cultivated forms of beet. Beetroot was offered to Apollo in his temple at Delphi, where it was reckoned to be worth its own weight in silver! Sea beet was first domesticated in the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East – although it was only the leaves that were eaten at that time.
Beetroot was offered to Apollo in his temple at Delphi, where it was reckoned to be worth its own weight in silver! The Romans began to cultivate it in earnest, and early recipes included cooking it with honey and wine. Apicius, the renowned Roman gourmet, included beetroot in recipes for broths and even recommended making it into a salad with a dressing of mustard, oil and vinegar in his book ‘The Art of Cooking’.
In early times, the medicinal properties of the root were more important than its eating qualities and it was used to treat a range of ailments including fevers, constipation, wounds and various skin problems. At that time, the roots were long and thin like a carrot. The rounded root shape that we
are familiar with today was not devel-oped until the sixteenth century and became widely popular in Central and Eastern Europe 200 years later.
Many classic beetroot dishes origi-nated in this region including the fa-
mous beetroot soup, known as borscht.
Beetroot continued to grow in popularity in Victori-
an times, when its dramatic colour brightened up salads and soups. It was also used as a sweet ingredient in cakes and puddings. A wide range of varieties was available, including “Rouge Cra-paudine” and “Mr Crosby’s Egyptian”. The plants were even used as decorative bedding because of their attractive green leaves. At this time, beetroot was still mainly grown as a winter root vegetable. More recently smaller, more tender, ‘baby’ sum-mer-grown beetroots have been developed.
After World War II, pickled beetroot in jars was the most widely available form of the vegetable but the vinegars could be strong and harsh - enough to put many people off beetroot for life!
Beetroots come in all shapes and sizes but the most common is round and deep red in colour. Other varieties are yellow, white, and even can-dy-striped (with red and white concentric circles). The humble beetroot is sweet, earthy and tender to eat and related to the turnip, swede and sugar beet.
How to SelectChoose beets with firm, smooth skins and non-wilted leaves if still attached. Smaller ones are more tender.
How to StoreRemove leaves, leaving about an inch of the stems. Use leaves as greens- raw or cooked. Store roots in a plastic bag in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Wash before cooking.
Beet Fun Facts1. Getting in the mood - Beetroot contains be-
taine, a substance that relaxes the mind and is used in other forms to treat depression. It also contains trytophan which is also found in chocolate and contributes to a sense of well being.
2. Getting in a jam - The red pigment in beetroot is used to colour strawberry jam as well as to improve the colour of tomato paste, sauces and strawberry ice cream.
3. Food of love - The Lupanare, the official broth-el of Pompeii, which still stands despite the best efforts of Vesuvius in 79AD, has its walls adorned with pictures of beetroots.
4. Healing power - Hippocrates advocated the use of beet leaves as binding for wounds.
5. Beware garlic - Platina recommended taking beetroot with garlic to nullify the effects of ‘garlic-breath’.
6. The commander’s code - Field Marshal Mont-gomery, an army commander in WWII, is
reputed to have exhorted his troops to ‘take favours in the beetroot fields’, a euphemism for visiting prostitutes7. Rags to riches - Sir Alan
Sugar of Apprentice fame demon-strated early entrepreneurial flair
when, while at school, he got a job boiling beetroots for the local green-
grocer.8. Litmus test - You can use beetroot juice
to measure acidity. When added to an acidic solution it turns pink, but when it is added to an alkali it turns yellow.
9. Potent like horseradish - The Oracle at Delphi claimed that beetroot was second only in mys-tical potency to horseradish, and that it was worth its weight in silver.
10. Everlasting love - In many cultures the belief persists that if a man and a woman eat from the same beetroot then they will fall in love.
11. Head and shoulders - If you boil beetroots in water and then massage the water into your scalp each night, it works as an effective cure for dandruff.
12. Out of this world - In 1975, during the Apol-lo-Soyuz Test Project, cosmonauts from the USSR’s Soyuz 19 welcomed the Apollo 18 astronauts by preparing a banquet of borscht (beetroot soup) in zero gravity.
13. Wonders of the world - Around 800 BC, an Assyrian text describes beets growing in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the won-ders of the ancient world.
14. Turning heads - Since the 16th century, beet juice has been used as a natural red dye. The Victorians used beetroot to dye their hair.
15. Vanish - Beetroot is a water-soluble dye, and hot water seems to ‘fix’ the colour stain more, so use lukewarm or cold water to avoid stain-ing. To cure the inevitable ‘pink fingers’, rub with lemon juice and salt before washing with soap and water. On fabrics, try rubbing a slice of raw pear on the stain before washing, or rinse in cold water before washing in a biologi-cal powder.
16. Beetroot burgers – In Australia, a true Oz-style burger must have a slice or two of beetroot. Even McDonalds and Burger King have had to toe the line and include it in their menus.
North Dakota Farm to SchoolHarvest of the Month
Beets
North Dakota Harvest of the Month
17. A diet for cricketers – The Beetroot Diet involves followers eating beetroot three times a day, alongside other vegetables and whole foods. The Warwickshire County Cricket Club adopted the Beetroot Diet in 2004 and won the county championship that season!
18. Record breakers - The world’s heaviest beetroot weighed 23.4kg (51.48lb) and was grown by Ian Neale from Somerset in 2001.
19. Sugar rush - Beetroot has one of the highest sugar contents of any vegetable. Up to 10 per cent of beetroot is sugar, but it is released slow-ly into the body rather than the sudden rush that results from eating chocolate.
20. Messy business - The Elizabethans prepared beetroot by wiping it with fresh dung before cooking it.
21. Darling buds of May - Catherine Zeta Jones is reported to have become addicted to beet-root after eating it while pregnant with her two children.
FREE RESOURCES FOR CLASSROOMSND In Season Harvest Calendarhttp://www.healthynd.org/publications/InSeason-HarvestCalendar.pdf
Starting a Farm to School Program in NDStep-by-Step guideline to starting
farm to school in your community with resource listings
and food service when purchasing and selling local produce.http://www.farrms.org/images/Documents/togeth-er%20at%20the%20table%20-%20f2s%20checklist.pdf
Food Labels Learning Sheets and Worksheetshttp://www.nourishinteractive.com/nutrition-ed-ucation-printables/category/6-food-labels-work-sheets-printables-teaching-kids-reading-food-la-beling-nutrition-facts-free-learning-printouts-ac-tivity