Tone recently posted a photo of some homegrown beetroot on her Facebook page to share with her friends and family. The pleasure of growing your own fruit and vegetables from home is heart warming – all the hard work that goes in to preparing the ground, nurturing the seedlings, protecting them from frost and insects and late night watering during dry times means the harvesting and preparation for serving such treasures even more rewarding.
The response was fantastic – some of the comments on what can be done with beetroot were inspiring and we wanted to share them with you…..
- Beetroot and apple soup
- Freshly boiled warm beetroot sandwiches!!!
- Borscht soup or roasted, sliced beetroot with goat’s cheese and salad
- Roasted in orange juice and zest
- Beetroot, swede and turnip chips
- Juice it with carrot and lemon
- Beetroot and chocolate cake!
- Blend the leaves into smoothies
The list goes on…. Other dishes our team recommend you try include Beetroot curry, roasted beetroot and halloumi and beetroot and lemon houmous – Yum!
The health benefits of beetroot
Although the leaves have always been eaten, historically the beet root was generally used medicinally for a range of ailments, including fevers, constipation and skin problems.
Beetroot is a good source of iron and folate (naturally occurring folic acid). It also contains nitrates, betaine, magnesium and other antioxidants (notably betacyanin).
More recent health claims suggest beetroot can help lower blood pressure, boost exercise performance and prevent dementia.
Beetroot is rich in nitrates. When ingested, scientists believe our body converts nitrates into nitric oxide, a chemical thought to lower blood pressure.
We hope you enjoy this short article and manage to enjoy some of the healthy and fun recipes and suggestions
The Lucks Yard Team
