It has been 30 years since I grew beets. I threw about 100 seeds into the snow about Feb there was a good crop of red beets that spring. WOW they tasted many times better than those horrible beets in grocery store cans. I have never liked beets, I have no clue what I grew 30 years ago but would love to grow more good as before.
What do you grow?
Detroit dark red.
heirloom, widely available, cheap, reliable, heavy producer, grows about everywhere, and tastes great.
if I can ever figure how to over winter them I will be able to harvest seeds..they are biannual..
in the mean time, an ounce of seeds is less than $5 and will plant way way more than I need .. unless I want to haul them to the farmers market.
heirloom, widely available, cheap, reliable, heavy producer, grows about everywhere, and tastes great.
if I can ever figure how to over winter them I will be able to harvest seeds..they are biannual..
in the mean time, an ounce of seeds is less than $5 and will plant way way more than I need .. unless I want to haul them to the farmers market.
Gary, you often sound like me. I wish I could have more of your cooking skills and carpenter (etc.) talents, as shown with that camp trailer.
I would not eat chard (the beet's sister
) from the time that I was a kid. Then, "I tried "Perpetual Spinach." I figured out that it was a chard by the time it got to the table. I was suspicious but liked it. The last few years, Verda da Taglio chard has been in my garden.
I'm not ready for the thick stemmed chards and I used to shy away from beets, any beets. Except ... baby beets have been a favorite since way back when. I've grown Red Ace for about 20 years and have been dedicated to harvesting them very early and using them as baby beets, roots and leaves together.
Last winter, DW decided that I should have beets year round! She was buying them almost weekly from the organic food store. I didn't say that I wouldn't eat the big roots, so I did ... eat them. I won't eat those "substandard" older leaves; I've got my standards! It's just that they keep changing ... slowly. And, that's okay
. Now, I think that I may be ready to admit liking the mature beet root.
Steve
I would not eat chard (the beet's sister
) from the time that I was a kid. Then, "I tried "Perpetual Spinach." I figured out that it was a chard by the time it got to the table. I was suspicious but liked it. The last few years, Verda da Taglio chard has been in my garden.I'm not ready for the thick stemmed chards and I used to shy away from beets, any beets. Except ... baby beets have been a favorite since way back when. I've grown Red Ace for about 20 years and have been dedicated to harvesting them very early and using them as baby beets, roots and leaves together.
Last winter, DW decided that I should have beets year round! She was buying them almost weekly from the organic food store. I didn't say that I wouldn't eat the big roots, so I did ... eat them. I won't eat those "substandard" older leaves; I've got my standards! It's just that they keep changing ... slowly. And, that's okay
. Now, I think that I may be ready to admit liking the mature beet root.Steve
Detroit Dark Red is an old standard that grows well and tastes great. I have also grown and tried Merlin, red ace, early wonder, and Bull's blood. Bull's blood actually is good for the beet greens.
Swiss chard does have to grow on you. It is a lot like how you have to get over the sliminess of okra to like it. Chard should be eaten young and stay away from the tougher stems then it isn't so earthy. It also depends on how you cook it.
Swiss chard does have to grow on you. It is a lot like how you have to get over the sliminess of okra to like it. Chard should be eaten young and stay away from the tougher stems then it isn't so earthy. It also depends on how you cook it.
It's been suggested to me that I cut the heavy stems out of the chard. Just getting the thin stem chard did it for me ... having never thought of cutting on the leaves 
.
My growing Early Wonder beets goes back to the 70's. It was just fine and I'm not sure why I stopped using Early Wonder about 20 years ago. It may have had to do with which seed outfit had or didn't have it.
Bulls Bood didn't grow well over a couple of seasons of trials. We were not as pleased with the flavor of some of the golden varieties - comparing them with the reds.
Steve
.My growing Early Wonder beets goes back to the 70's. It was just fine and I'm not sure why I stopped using Early Wonder about 20 years ago. It may have had to do with which seed outfit had or didn't have it.
Bulls Bood didn't grow well over a couple of seasons of trials. We were not as pleased with the flavor of some of the golden varieties - comparing them with the reds.
Steve
Detroit Dark Red here too. I've put up quite a few quarts of them this past spring and have given away some to friends who appreciate them. Everyone I've given them to raves about how good they are and being so much better than any canned beets they can get in stores.
I put some seeds in a few weeks ago when it looked like our hot weather was coming to an end, but the ones that came up didn't last long even though I was watering them enough to keep the ground damp. We've had too many days in the upper 80's and the seedlings just burned up.
I put some seeds in a few weeks ago when it looked like our hot weather was coming to an end, but the ones that came up didn't last long even though I was watering them enough to keep the ground damp. We've had too many days in the upper 80's and the seedlings just burned up.
