Saving the Harvest: Beets

Saving Beets for Winter

We buy beets in bulk in the late summer (for example we can get a 4 qt basket for about 10.00$).  We then slice, blanch and freeze them to roast all winter long.  They can go from the freezer to the oven and be roasted in 1 to 2 hours.  I get them out of the freezer, break them up a little and coat them with organic olive oil and some sea salt.  Then roast them for between 1-2 hours at 350 degrees until at least some are caramelized (a little brown and shriveled).  The longer they roast, the better they taste (but don’t roast them too long and burn them).   I’ve served these beets at dinner parties and have had people ask me how I made them.  Sometimes I think that they don’t believe me when I tell them how simple they are to make.  They are surprisingly good just roasted with good organic olive oil (we get it in bulk at Costco) and sea salt.

Ingredients:

-        Raw organic beets preferable bought in bulk

Prep and Cooking:

Peel the beets.  This is what takes the most time and it is really boring.  Slice them in ¼ to ½ inch slices.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the beets and bring back to a boil for about 3 minutes.  Scoop them with a slotted spoon so that you can keep the boiling water and cook them in smaller batches of about 3 cups each.  Let them cool a little and freeze them in flattened portions. 

If you are too lazy to get out the food processor and clean it afterwards (like me) or don’t have one, you can slice the beets and proceed with the recipe.  I also once added currants (see picture).