THE STUBBORN RED BEET

the stubborn red beet did what?

i struggle with fitness and nutrition. i guess we all do, right?

fortunately, romania has plenty of (at least seemingly) organic markets. that makes shopping for vegetables and fruit quite enjoyable. we get to watch the seasons go by on the stands: the first cherries and strawberries, crunchy spring onions and lettuce in the spring, juicy watermelons, peaches and tomatoes in the summer, robust cauliflowers, cabbage and huge orange pumpkins in the autumn and lots of apples, savory home made pickles and root vegetables in the winter.

we once got a juicer as a present. it’s a very good present: you can just stick in whatever vegetable or fruit is in season and bam! you have healthy drinks.

a few weeks ago, i bought a few red beets with the plan to transform them into a salad. but the holidays came and there was a lot of food around, as usual. so the beets just slept in the crisper, waiting for me to come and get them. and, one day, i noticed it! one of them grew some very beautiful little leaves, right there in my fridge.

i peeled and cubed the rest of them for an apple+beet combo juice. they say beet juice is very good for you (click here and here). but i just couldn’t cut the one with the leaves. so i took it out of the fridge and put it into a plastic container, hoping that more warmth and light would help it grow some more.

it’s funny how i spared a vegetable only because i see its stubborn development in a hostile environment as a life lesson. this post could have been called: what i learned from a not so regular red beet.

i will keep you posted with its progress!

ps: i cannot end this post without telling you what other uses i have for red beets. i make red beet syrup (you boil and reduce the chucks after having added sugar). i then use the red beet syrup to colour rice pudding in a lovely shade of pink. of course, you can use it as natural pink colour for any kind of foods.

also, my dad used to make a wonderful cold red beet bortsch. so, this little underrated root vegetable can go a long way and help you with your healthy nutrition. enjoy it while it’s still in season!

photo credits: little aesthete