“YELLOW BEETS: Beets are members of the Goosefoot family. Many members of this family have deep tap roots, so they can grow in salty soils. Beta is the most important genus and includes such vegetables as the beetroot, chard, and sugar beet. Other members include orach, spinach, quinoa, and samphire. All these cultivated forms descended from the sea beet, a wild seashore plant that grows around the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of Europe and North Africa. This plant has small roots, but the leaves and stems are still eaten. Early Greek writers referred to this plant; by about 300 BCE, there were many varieties producing edible roots. The ancient Greeks and Romans ate the leaves and used the very small root for medicinal purposes. By the 3rd century, the Romans were beginning to eat the root as a vegetable. As a result, careful cultivation began to produce a larger root, along with several recipes for its use. The roots are rich in the complex carbohydrates of starches, sugars, and the indigestible fibers of cellulose and hemicellulose. When stored, beets become sweeter as their starches then convert to sugar. Like carrots, beets have such stiff cell walls that it is hard for the human digestive system to extract the nutrients inside. Cooking will not soften the cellulose in the cell walls of the beet, but it will dissolve enough of the hemicellulose so that digestive juices are able to penetrate. Cooking also activates flavour molecules in beets, making them taste better. Before cooking beets, cut off the tops within a couple of inches of the top. This helps lock in the nutrients during cooking. When the tops are attached to any root vegetable, they leech the nutrients from the root. They should be cooked whole and then peeled; otherwise, they bleed all their color and nutrients into the water. The greens and the roots should be stored separately as the greens are highly perishable, but the roots can last for some time in storage. Beets are excellent raw in salads or cooked and served in various dishes, including borscht, or pickled.”

[Text adapted from: http://www.innvista.com/health/foods/vegetables/beets.htm]

[Image from: http://www.northcoastjournal.com/media/cache/issues/052208/FOOD-yellow-beet_c_w250h250.jpg]