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North Dakota Farm to School Harvest of the Month Beets · PDF fileNorth Dakota Farm to School...
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North Dakota Farm to SchoolHarvest of the Month
Beets
North Dakota Harvest of the Month
History of Beets (beetroot)Beetroot, botanically-known as Beta vulgaris, evolved from wild seabeet, which is a native of coastlines from India to Britain and is the ances-tor of all cultivated forms of beet. Beetroot was offered to Apollo in his temple at Delphi, where it was reckoned to be worth its own weight in silver! Sea beet was first domesticated in the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East – although it was only the leaves that were eaten at that time.
Beetroot was offered to Apollo in his temple at Delphi, where it was reckoned to be worth its own weight in silver! The Romans began to cultivate it in earnest, and early recipes included cooking it with honey and wine. Apicius, the renowned Roman gourmet, included beetroot in recipes for broths and even recommended making it into a salad with a dressing of mustard, oil and vinegar in his book ‘The Art of Cooking’.
In early times, the medicinal properties of the root were more important than its eating qualities and it was used to treat a range of ailments including fevers, constipation, wounds and various skin problems. At that time, the roots were long and thin like a carrot. The rounded root shape that we
are familiar with today was not devel-oped until the sixteenth century and became widely popular in Central and Eastern Europe 200 years later.
Many classic beetroot dishes origi-nated in this region including the fa-
mous beetroot soup, known as borscht.
Beetroot continued to grow in popularity in Victori-
an times, when its dramatic colour brightened up salads and soups. It was also used as a sweet ingredient in cakes and puddings. A wide range of varieties was available, including “Rouge Cra-paudine” and “Mr Crosby’s Egyptian”. The plants were even used as decorative bedding because of their attractive green leaves. At this time, beetroot was still mainly grown as a winter root vegetable. More recently smaller, more tender, ‘baby’ sum-mer-grown beetroots have been developed.
After World War II, pickled beetroot in jars was the most widely available form of the vegetable but the vinegars could be strong and harsh - enough to put many people off beetroot for life!
Beetroots come in all shapes and sizes but the most common is round and deep red in colour. Other varieties are yellow, white, and even can-dy-striped (with red and white concentric circles). The humble beetroot is sweet, earthy and tender to eat and related to the turnip, swede and sugar beet.
How to SelectChoose beets with firm, smooth skins and non-wilted leaves if still attached. Smaller ones are more tender.
How to StoreRemove leaves, leaving about an inch of the stems. Use leaves as greens- raw or cooked. Store roots in a plastic bag in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Wash before cooking.
SOURCE: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=49
North Dakota Farm to SchoolHarvest of the Month
Beets
North Dakota Harvest of the Month
Nutrition BenefitsFat free, saturated fat free, cholesterol free, low sodium, excellent source of folate.
Beet Fun Facts1. Getting in the mood - Beetroot contains be-
taine, a substance that relaxes the mind and is used in other forms to treat depression. It also contains trytophan which is also found in chocolate and contributes to a sense of well being.
2. Getting in a jam - The red pigment in beetroot is used to colour strawberry jam as well as to improve the colour of tomato paste, sauces and strawberry ice cream.
3. Food of love - The Lupanare, the official broth-el of Pompeii, which still stands despite the best efforts of Vesuvius in 79AD, has its walls adorned with pictures of beetroots.
4. Healing power - Hippocrates advocated the use of beet leaves as binding for wounds.
5. Beware garlic - Platina recommended taking beetroot with garlic to nullify the effects of ‘garlic-breath’.
6. The commander’s code - Field Marshal Mont-gomery, an army commander in WWII, is
reputed to have exhorted his troops to ‘take favours in the beetroot fields’, a euphemism for visiting prostitutes7. Rags to riches - Sir Alan
Sugar of Apprentice fame demon-strated early entrepreneurial flair
when, while at school, he got a job boiling beetroots for the local green-
grocer.8. Litmus test - You can use beetroot juice
to measure acidity. When added to an acidic solution it turns pink, but when it is added to an alkali it turns yellow.
9. Potent like horseradish - The Oracle at Delphi claimed that beetroot was second only in mys-tical potency to horseradish, and that it was worth its weight in silver.
10. Everlasting love - In many cultures the belief persists that if a man and a woman eat from the same beetroot then they will fall in love.
11. Head and shoulders - If you boil beetroots in water and then massage the water into your scalp each night, it works as an effective cure for dandruff.
12. Out of this world - In 1975, during the Apol-lo-Soyuz Test Project, cosmonauts from the USSR’s Soyuz 19 welcomed the Apollo 18 astronauts by preparing a banquet of borscht (beetroot soup) in zero gravity.
13. Wonders of the world - Around 800 BC, an Assyrian text describes beets growing in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the won-ders of the ancient world.
14. Turning heads - Since the 16th century, beet juice has been used as a natural red dye. The Victorians used beetroot to dye their hair.
15. Vanish - Beetroot is a water-soluble dye, and hot water seems to ‘fix’ the colour stain more, so use lukewarm or cold water to avoid stain-ing. To cure the inevitable ‘pink fingers’, rub with lemon juice and salt before washing with soap and water. On fabrics, try rubbing a slice of raw pear on the stain before washing, or rinse in cold water before washing in a biologi-cal powder.
16. Beetroot burgers – In Australia, a true Oz-style burger must have a slice or two of beetroot. Even McDonalds and Burger King have had to toe the line and include it in their menus.
North Dakota Farm to SchoolHarvest of the Month
Beets
North Dakota Harvest of the Month
17. A diet for cricketers – The Beetroot Diet involves followers eating beetroot three times a day, alongside other vegetables and whole foods. The Warwickshire County Cricket Club adopted the Beetroot Diet in 2004 and won the county championship that season!
18. Record breakers - The world’s heaviest beetroot weighed 23.4kg (51.48lb) and was grown by Ian Neale from Somerset in 2001.
19. Sugar rush - Beetroot has one of the highest sugar contents of any vegetable. Up to 10 per cent of beetroot is sugar, but it is released slow-ly into the body rather than the sudden rush that results from eating chocolate.
20. Messy business - The Elizabethans prepared beetroot by wiping it with fresh dung before cooking it.
21. Darling buds of May - Catherine Zeta Jones is reported to have become addicted to beet-root after eating it while pregnant with her two children.
FREE RESOURCES FOR CLASSROOMSND In Season Harvest Calendarhttp://www.healthynd.org/publications/InSeason-HarvestCalendar.pdf
Starting a Farm to School Program in NDStep-by-Step guideline to starting
farm to school in your community with resource listings
http://issuu.com/farrms/docs/web_com-plete_farm_to_school_handbook
Together at the Table: a resource for producers
and food service when purchasing and selling local produce.http://www.farrms.org/images/Documents/togeth-er%20at%20the%20table%20-%20f2s%20checklist.pdf
Food Labels Learning Sheets and Worksheetshttp://www.nourishinteractive.com/nutrition-ed-ucation-printables/category/6-food-labels-work-sheets-printables-teaching-kids-reading-food-la-beling-nutrition-facts-free-learning-printouts-ac-tivity
Mad
e po
ssib
le b
y fu
ndin
g fr
om th
e D
epar
tmen
t of H
ealt
h an
d H
uman
Ser
vice
s an
d Pu
blic
Hea
lth –
Seat
tle
& K
ing
Coun
ty.
Bee
ts &
Sw
eets
– W
ayza
ta P
ublic
Scho
ols,
MN
Ingr
edien
ts 50
Serv
ings
10
0 Ser
vings
25
Serv
ings
Di
rect
ions
Bee
ts, f
resh
§ (AP
), di
ced
8 lb.
6 oz.
16 lb
. 11 o
z. 4 l
b. 3 o
z. 1.
Preh
eat o
ven a
t 400
degr
ee.
2. Tr
im of
f the
beet
crow
n and
tail t
o ½ in
ch an
d dice
into
bite
-siz
e. Cu
t swe
et po
tato
es in
to bi
te-si
ze ch
unks
and c
hop u
p on
ion.
3. In
a lar
ge bo
wl, c
ombi
ne al
l ingr
edien
ts to
geth
er. M
ix we
ll. 4.
Plac
e pan
liner
s on s
heet
pans
. Div
ide a
nd sp
read
out m
ixtur
e ev
enly
in ea
ch pa
n. 5.
Bake
in a
conv
ectio
n ove
n for
20 m
inut
es. R
emov
e and
gent
ly m
ix. B
ake f
or ad
ditio
nal 2
0 min
utes
or un
til fo
rk te
nder
. 6.
Hold
food
for s
ervi
ng at
an in
tern
al te
mpe
ratu
re ab
ove 1
40 F.
Ser
vin
g Si
ze: ½
cu
p
� No
te: t
empe
ratu
re an
d bak
ing t
ime v
ary b
y ove
ns.
Swee
t p
otat
o, fr
esh
§ , chu
nks
8 lb.
6 oz.
16 lb
. 11 o
z. 4 l
b. 3 o
z.
On
ion
, yel
low
, fre
sh§ , c
hopp
ed
4 lb.
3 oz.
8 lb.
6 oz.
2 lb.
2 oz.
Oliv
e oil
1 cup
2 c
up
½ cu
p
Gar
lic,
fres
h§ , f
inely
chop
ped
2 ½ T
b 5 T
b 1 ¼
Tb
Salt
1 Tb +
⅓ ts
p 2 T
b + 2/
3 tsp
1 2
/3 ts
p
Blac
k pep
per,
grou
nd
2 ½ T
b 5 T
b 1 ¼
Tb
Suga
r, gr
anul
ated
2 ½
Tb
5 Tb
1 ¼ T
b
§WA
pro
du
ct a
vail
able
wh
en in
sea
son
Appr
oxim
ate p
repa
ratio
n tim
e: 30
min
. + 40
min
. in th
e ove
n
Tip
s &
Var
iati
ons:
B
eets
com
e in v
ario
us co
lors
: Red
, Gol
d, an
d Chi
oggia
(red
& w
hite
ring
s whe
n cut
ho
rizon
tally
). W
hen r
oaste
d, Ch
iogg
ia’s d
istin
ct ri
ngs d
isapp
ear a
nd fl
esh b
ecom
es
beau
tiful
pink
that
is lig
hter
than
Red
beet
s. Tr
y mixi
ng m
ultip
le va
rietie
s of b
eets.
Bee
ts an
d Sw
eet
pot
atoe
s ar
e bes
t whe
n ten
der b
ut no
t mus
hy!
Yo
u can
subs
titut
e bee
ts an
d/or
swee
t pot
ato w
ith ca
rrot
s, p
arsn
ips,
ruta
bag
a, an
d p
urp
le p
otat
oes –
you n
ame i
t! – T
hey a
ll are
grow
n in W
ashi
ngto
n Sta
te.
Mad
e po
ssib
le b
y fu
ndin
g fr
om th
e D
epar
tmen
t of H
ealt
h an
d H
uman
Ser
vice
s an
d Pu
blic
Hea
lth –
Seat
tle
& K
ing
Coun
ty.
Beet
s & Sw
eets
Chil
d N
utr
itio
n P
rogr
am F
ood
Com
pon
ents
:
½
cup v
eget
able
Nu
trie
nts
Per
Ser
vin
g:
Calo
ries
170 k
cal
% C
alorie
s fro
m Fa
t 27
%
Tota
l Fat
5 g
Sa
tura
ted F
at
< 1
g
Tran
s fat
0 g
Chol
este
rol
0 m
g So
dium
42
0 mg
Tota
l Car
bohy
drat
es
30 g
Di
etar
y Fib
er
4 g
Pr
otein
3 g
Vi
tam
in A
(15,8
06 IU
) > 1
00 %
Vi
tam
in C
(13 m
g)
50 %
Ca
lcium
2 %
Iro
n
12
%
B
eets
are
ava
ilabl
e thr
ough
out t
he y
ear i
n W
ashi
ngto
n S
tate
, but
the
peak
har
vest
sea
son
is u
sual
ly M
ay th
roug
h S
epte
mbe
r whe
n yo
u ca
n fi
nd fr
esh
beet
s wi
th g
reen
s. B
eets
gre
ens
are r
ich
in v
itam
in A
and
ea
sily
use
d in
stir
-fry
or s
auté
ed. C
heck
out t
he W
ashi
ngto
n G
rown
Ve
geta
ble S
easo
nalit
y Ch
art!
S
tora
ge T
ip: T
o m
aint
ain
firm
ness
of b
eet r
oots
, cut
off g
reen
s/le
aves
an
d st
ems
1-2
inch
es a
bove
the r
oot c
rown
. Sto
re in
a p
last
ic b
ag a
nd
refr
iger
ate i
n th
e hyd
rato
r dra
wer.
They
will
last
long
er if
sto
red
prop
erly
. Sto
re g
reen
s wr
appe
d in
a d
amp
clot
h or
in a
pla
stic
bag
in a
dr
awer
of t
he re
frig
erat
or. G
reen
s di
min
ish
thei
r int
egri
ty ra
pidl
y, s
o us
e whi
le fr
esh
and
cris
p. [r
ef: “
From
Asp
arag
us to
Zuc
chin
i – A
Gui
de to
Coo
king
Far
m-F
resh
Sea
sona
l
Prod
uce (
3rd E
diti
on)”
]
note
s
Mad
e po
ssib
le b
y fu
ndin
g fr
om th
e D
epar
tmen
t of H
ealt
h an
d H
uman
Ser
vice
s an
d Pu
blic
Hea
lth –
Seat
tle
& K
ing
Coun
ty.
Cold
Bee
t Sa
lad
wit
h R
asp
ber
ries
– W
inon
a Pub
lic Sc
hool
s, M
N
Ingr
edien
ts 50
Serv
ings
10
0 Ser
vings
25
Serv
ings
Di
rect
ions
Bee
ts, f
resh
§ , top
-off
(AP)
4 l
b. 5 o
z. 8 l
b. 10
oz.
2 lb.
3 oz.
1. Pr
ehea
t ove
n at 3
75 de
gree
. 2.
Wra
p bee
ts tig
htly
in al
umin
um fo
il and
bake
for o
ne ho
ur or
un
til te
nder
. (If
com
e with
tops
, cut
off a
ll but
1” of
beet
tops
.) 3.
Rem
ove b
eets
from
oven
and c
ool. S
lip of
f the
skin
s, tri
m of
f th
e top
and t
ail to
½ in
ch, a
nd sl
ice in
to th
in ro
unds
. 4.
Whi
sk to
geth
er th
e vin
egar
, oil,
salt
and p
eppe
r. Dr
izzle
over
be
ets.
Let m
arin
ate i
n ref
riger
ator
for a
t lea
st on
e hou
r. 5.
Befo
re se
rvin
g, ge
ntly
fold
in th
e ras
pber
ries.
Garn
ish w
ith
min
t.
Ser
vin
g Si
ze: ¼
cu
p
Note
: Tem
pera
ture
and b
akin
g tim
e may
vary
by ov
en.
Rasp
berr
y vin
egar
5 T
b 10
Tb
2 ½ T
b
Oliv
e oil
5/6 c
up
1 2/3
cup
2/5 c
up
Salt
5/6 t
sp
1 2/3
tsp
2/5 t
sp
Blac
k pep
per,
grou
nd
1/5 t
sp
2/5 t
sp
dash
Min
t, fr
esh
, lea
ves§
, cho
pped
5/
6 Tb
1 2/3
Tb
2/5 T
b
Ras
pb
erri
es, f
resh
§ 1 5
/8 cu
p 3 ¼
cup
4/5 c
up
§WA
pro
du
ct a
vail
able
wh
en in
sea
son
Appr
oxim
ate p
repa
ratio
n tim
e: 90
min
. inclu
ding
tim
e in t
he ov
en (a
dditi
onal
1 hou
r or
mor
e in r
efrig
erat
or fo
r mar
inat
ing)
Tip
s &
Var
iati
ons:
B
eets
com
e in v
ario
us co
lors
: Red
, Gol
d, an
d Chi
oggia
(red
& w
hite
ring
s whe
n cut
ho
rizon
tally
). W
hen r
oaste
d, Ch
iogg
ia’s d
istin
ct ri
ngs d
isapp
ear a
nd fl
esh b
ecom
es
beau
tiful
pink
that
is lig
hter
than
Red
beet
s. Tr
y mixi
ng m
ultip
le va
rietie
s of b
eets.
Bee
ts ar
e bes
t whe
n ten
der b
ut no
t mus
hy!
W
hen u
sing f
roze
n r
asp
berr
ies§ , t
haw
first
and t
ry m
ixing
in th
e dre
ssin
g.
Inte
reste
d in
addi
ng ch
eese
? – T
ry to
ppin
g with
relat
ively
mild
and
crum
bly c
hees
e.
Mad
e po
ssib
le b
y fu
ndin
g fr
om th
e D
epar
tmen
t of H
ealt
h an
d H
uman
Ser
vice
s an
d Pu
blic
Hea
lth –
Seat
tle
& K
ing
Coun
ty.
Cold
Bee
t Sala
d with
Ras
pber
ries
Chil
d N
utr
itio
n P
rogr
am F
ood
Com
pon
ents
:
1
/8 cu
p veg
etab
le N
utr
ien
ts P
er S
ervi
ng:
Calo
ries
50 kc
al %
Calo
ries f
rom
Fat
66 %
To
tal F
at
4 g
Satu
rate
d Fat
< 1 g
Tr
ans f
at
0 g
Ch
oles
tero
l
0 mg
Sodi
um
67 m
g To
tal C
arbo
hydr
ates
4 g
Diet
ary F
iber
1 g
Prot
ein
< 1 g
Vita
min
A (1
5 IU)
< 1
%
Vita
min
C (3
mg)
12
%
Calci
um
< 1 %
Iro
n
3 %
Bee
ts ar
e ava
ilabl
e thr
ough
out t
he ye
ar in
Was
hing
ton S
tate
, but
the
peak
harv
est s
easo
n is u
suall
y May
thro
ugh S
epte
mbe
r whe
n you
can
find f
resh
beet
s with
gree
ns. B
eets
gree
ns ar
e rich
in vi
tam
in A
and
easil
y use
d in s
tir-fr
y or s
auté
ed. C
heck
out t
he W
ashi
ngto
n Gro
wn
Vege
tabl
e Sea
sona
lity C
hart!
Stor
age T
ip: T
o main
tain
firm
ness
of be
et ro
ots,
cut o
ff gr
eens
/leav
es
and s
tem
s 1-2
inch
es ab
ove t
he ro
ot cr
own.
Stor
e in a
plas
tic ba
g and
re
frige
rate
in th
e hyd
rato
r dra
wer.
They
will
last
long
er if
stor
ed
prop
erly.
Stor
e gre
ens w
rapp
ed in
a da
mp c
loth
or in
a pl
astic
bag i
n a
draw
er of
the r
efrig
erat
or. G
reen
s dim
inish
their
inte
grity
rapi
dly,
so
use w
hile
fresh
and c
risp.
[ref
: “Fr
om A
spar
agus
to Z
ucch
ini –
A G
uide
to C
ooki
ng F
arm
-Fre
sh S
easo
nal
Prod
uce
(3rd
Edi
tion)
”]
note
s