Day 30: New Beets

Today, I have some new beets for you:

Friends, you are looking at a variety of the beetroot called "Polka" in Swedish and "Candy cane" in my translation. I am happy to report that I have now tried this type of beet twice, and I love it! Who knew that you could grow beets like this!

Let's take a closer look:

this is what the candy cane beets look like unpeeled. To cook the beets, I cut off the root part and the stem part, halved and/or quartered the beets, and cooked them for about 15 minutes in salted water.

As you look at these gorgeous roots, you might be thinking, what stunning beauties, I am going to show off with them very much. Well, hold your horses, because this is as pretty as it gets. Cooked, my candy cane beets lost much of their color and most of the pattern. (I don't know if cooking the beets whole would have made a difference.) One last look at these pretty ones,

and here is the cooked version (below). Note that the beets are already peeled in this picture, and I tried to make them look as attractive as possible.

What do candy cane beets taste like, then? They taste great. Like regular beets, but a little sweeter. I used these beets in a warm potato salad with cannellini beans, feta-like cheese, and fried button mushrooms. The candy cane beets lent lovely pops of color to the salad without making everything pink like regular beets would maybe do.

More beets?
Here are some beets that my friend grew and how to cook them (in Latvian).
Here is a beet-fennel cream soup I made from Gwyneth Paltrow's book "It's All Good".
And here is a traditional Latvian soup that we only make and eat during summer, when it's unbearably hot outside, our "cold soup" prominently featuring beets.

Finally, it is thanks to this post that I have a renewed interest in beets.

I hope you feel abundance when you try a new vegetable or a new root, and like it. I do.

Thank you for stopping by Pieliekamais!