Hate ’em or Love ’em- Beets?
In food conversations, some dishes get normally unanimous approval and applause. Ice cream, cookies, chocolate, pork belly, brisket and rib eye steak normally spike up excitement in food talk. Sweets and quality meats always seem to be at the top of the list. But there are those select ingredients that can quickly divide the room in half and cause a few brows to frown. Beets are a good example.
We’re big fans of growing beets and eating beets from top to bottom. From fresh beet salad greens to roasted beet roots, these colorful tubers keep us busy and satisfied. Unfortunately, there’s another half of the population that can’t bear the taste or texture of beets. “Tastes like dirt!”
A friend of ours stays away from any root that makes him “pee red”. Freaked out the first time he ate beets as an adult. Thought he had internal hemorrhaging. The “unusual” color isn’t an argument we’ll contest with. Although, there are white beets to resolve this issue.
Another friend shrieks from the word “beets” because it brings back horrible memories of her grandmother forcing them to eat beets out of the can.
And then there’s a more daring group of pals that adore beets, in any shape or form. These are the peeps we talk and feed liberally when it comes to beets.
So our population of food friends seems to be pretty much split in half. There are the haters and the lovers and rarely does anyone ever sit on the fence when it comes to beets. You either will eat it, or pass it to Mikey.
What’s your take on beets? Are you a hater or lover?
Beet Lovers,
Diane and Todd
[ad]
I love beets and grow them, I never knew there was white beets untill I found one growing with my red beets. Getting ready to try it 🙂
I’m 30 years old and never knew I liked beets until I had them freshly roasted in a salad. I had tried the canned beets and thought they were disgusting, period. So glad I’ve seen the light, they are a beautiful and delicious vegetable….
I’m a beet lover!!!! My family not so much. But that just means more for me:)
Lover. Definitely. And converter.
My fiancé and I love beets and always pick up some from the Santa Monica farmer’s market weekly! Since you grow them you must have many ways to prepare beets? Would love to see some recipes!
I love beets, but I’ve never seen a lot of these variations! I just had classic red beets in my salad for lunch… I don’t think they taste like dirt; they taste like candy.
I am a huge beet lover! I had them for the first time not long about and now I can’t get enough of them!
roasted, pickled, hot, cold, with vinaigrette or goat cheese or butter or nothing…even out of a can! I will eat beets here or there, I will eat them anywhere! (hey, it’s almost Dr. Seuss’s birthday, ok?)
love love love…especially when roasted and combined with fresh goat cheese!
I too love beets! I think the color is beyond gorgeous and the flavor of a roasted beet makes me do the happy dance. I wrote up a post for a wonderful beet tart recipe on my new blog, http://www.sidestitches.blogspot.com. Come visit. Thanks for sharing your love of beets. Your pictures are truly inspiring!
Like you, and many of the people who commented, I LOVE beets.
My favorite beet recipe is beet tamarind chutney!
I’m currently producing my own cooking show and for the latest episode I make the beet tamarind chutney. I haven’t finished editing it yet, but it’ll be on my blog soon!
I love your photos. Beets photograph so well!
I love beets in every way, shape and form – I think the only way I haven’t tried them is raw! I even ate an entire can of sliced beets directly from the can the other day. I am partial to roasted beets with balsamic dressing or pickled beets, straight from the jar. Yum! And beet greens are divine as well. I have a soft spot for any food that I can eat from nose to tail, but in the vegetal sense.
i’ve always loved beets–but after trying this recipe, it’s hard to say whether i love beets or beet greens more! 🙂
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2009/07/29/beet_greens_salad/
I never liked beets until I got Thomas Keller’s “Ad Hoc at Home” as a birthday gift. Beets roasted with butter, salt and pepper in a foil packet, then cooled and skinned… oh man. So so good.
i love beets and i have ever since i was little! i even named my blog after them 🙂
i forgot the link to my post about beets! as you can see, i love the color
http://beeeats.blogspot.com/2010/10/beats-on-beets.html
Funny about foods and peeps’ aversions to them. My hubby will eat just about any veggies except beets, which he despises (and it’s not the red pee that bothers him). Oddly enough I just posted today on foods I abhor: Beets are not on the list, but rice pudding and pigs’ feet are–please, please never make me eat them again. I’d probably starve if I ad to subsist on pigs’ feet–even the smell makes me gag.