Carol has asked if it is possible to cook beetroot in the microwave.
We think it is much quicker & easier to microwave beetroot. Boiling takes so long!
Put 4 egg-sized beet in a microwaveable bowl, add about 3 tablespoons of water and cover. Microwave on full power for about 8 minutes, turning half way through cooking. Remove the beet from the oven & rest for 2 minutes. Drain then cool the beet in cold water.
Has anyone else tried microwaving beetroot?
To Prepare Beetroot for cooking:
The Beetroot is now ready for cooking. If you cut the leaves too close to the beet, or if you cut the roots, the beetroot will ‘bleed’ and all the red colour could be lost from the beetroot. So just twist the leaves off, wash the whole beetroot, with roots & stubbs of leaf stalks attached
beetroot-growing
To cook the beetroot:
Click this link for more cooking ideas for beetroot and recipes.
In the last few years it has been shown that Beetroot juice effects blood pressure & stamina.
beetroot
In 1998 Two Swedish scientists (Weitzberg and Lundberg) found that natural nitrates (NO3) in the diet (such as those found in beetroot, spinach and lettuce) are broken down during digestion to produce nitric oxide in the blood stream.
Nitric Oxide is important because it:
- regulates blood pressure;
- controls blood flow to certain organs;
- enhances stamina by improving oxygen use;
- fights infection;
- is a signal molecule in the nervous system.
Beetroot juice is particularly high in natural dietary nitrates
Professor Amrita Ahluwalia of the William Harvey Research Institute, published a paper in March 2008 in the American Heart Association’s journal showing that oral nitrate (taken through drinking beetroot juice) reduces high blood pressure.
Professor Andrew Jones, of Exeter University, published a paper in August 2009 explaining that dietary nitrate supplementation reduces the O2 cost of low intensity exercise and enhances tolerance to high intensity exercise in humans (Journal of Applied Physiology).
beetroot-growing
Dietary nitrate has such a beneficiary impact on sporting stamina that Beet It are supplying beetroot juice for trials with UK Athletics, swimming, rowing, cycling teams and even the entire England rugby union team.
To Prepare Beetroot for cooking:
* Pull the beetroots on the small side, as they have a better taste & texture
* Tear off the leaves leaving 2″ of stalk
* Leave the roots on
* Wash the beetroot in cold water
It is important not to cut the beetroot in anyway – hence leaving the roots on, and twisting the leaves off well above the root. If the beetroot is cut it will bleed, and loose all the purple colour, and will appear a nasty off-white colour. For this reason the beetroot is not peeled before it is cooked.
beetroot-growing
It is quick and easy to prepare beetroot for cooking as the less that is done to it the better!
Long, cylindrical beetroot is easy to slice and fits into a jar well.
long-beetroot
Long beetroot, such as Alto F1 Hybrid is worth growing just because it is easy to slice into even shaped pieces!
Some beetroot has been harvested.
beetroot-growing
Lifted from the dry ground the beetroot will store through the winter.
beetroot
A good method of storage is in a dustbin, surrounding the beetroot with peat. Place a lid on the bin and keep it outside, to keep cool.
beetroot-boiled&skinned
The harvested beetroot can be taken out of the bin one at a time, as required.
Research at the University of Exeter has found that drinking beetroot juice boosts stamina and could help people exercise for up to 16% longer.
beetroot
Beetroot juice contains a nitrate which reduces oxygen uptake – making exercise less tiring.
In 2008 London Hospitals found that Beetroot juice reduces blood pressure.
This new research, demonstrating that beetroot juice boosts stamina, adds to the list of health benefits of beetroot.
beetroot-growing
Ingredients
1 large beetroot
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablesppoon of balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Method
1. Peel and cut up the beetroot into about 8 pieces.
2. Boil the water.
3. Place beetroot in boiling water for about 5-10 minutes.
4. Remove beetroot from water and chop up into thin strips.
5. Heat olive oil in frying pan.
6. Add beetroot strips and fry.
7. Then add sugar and balsamic vinegar and fry for 10 minutes.
This recipe for caramelised beetroot will be added to the list of other ways to cook beetroot.
Beetroot is a versatile vegetable which can be eaten hot or cold. The trick is keeping the red colour. If the beetroot is cut before cooking (or if the leaves are cut too close to the root, or the roots are cut off) the beetroot will bleed, and loose its colour.
beetroot
Beetroot takes longer than some vegetables to be cooked so that it is tender.
Click this link to check how to prepare beetroot for cooking.
Beetroot may be:
beetroot-boiled&skinned
slice-boiled-beetroot
There are many different recipes using Beetroot, including:
The Beetroot (latin name – Beta vulgaris), variety – Bolthardy, was sown on 15 May & is ready for thinning.
beetroot-row
Before thinning:
* It is important to consider the size of root required. If baby beet are desired for salads and pickling whole, they may be spaced closer together. If larger roots are wanted for winter storage or sliced beet, they need to have more room to develop. The average spacing in the row for thinned beetroot is 4inches.
* Water the row of seedlings before thinning.
* Allow plenty of time for thinning; this job cannot be rushed.
*
beetroot-seedlings
Place a marker stick down the row, with spacings (eg. 4ins) clearly marked.
* select weak plant
select-weak-plant
Assess the seedlings beside the marks. It is more important to leave the strongest plants than have the exact spacing. So if a weak plant is nearest the mark, select the stongest looking seedling closest to it.
* pull out individual plants
pull-out-plants-individually
Pull out the surplus seedlings individually, but very carefully.
* Use a board to kneel on to allow a steady hand.
*
thinned-beetroot
Do not pull out surplus seedlings in a bunch, because the mass of roots will disturb the roots of the plant selected to be left to grow on.
* The baby leaves of the discarded seedlings may be eaten in salads, or cooked as a vegetable.
* seedling beetroot
seedling-beetroot
It is worth taking time to thin out beetroot carefully, to get return on all the previous effort of preparing the seed bed and sowing.
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