Saturday, October 22, 2005

Vegetable: Beets: Red Ace

In the course of a year, we eat a lot of beets. There was a four month long period in the spring where there were always beets in the fridge. I pickled, fried, and roasted them. Roasted beets hold a special place in my wife's heart, owing to her time at Chez Panisse (where they figured prominently in staff meals).

I like the flavor and color of the common or Italian beet, and will occasionally pick up some orange or pink chioggas. Red Ace's are fast-growing (maturity takes about 2 months), flavorful, and particularly sweet. Some websites refer to them as a Short Top Detroit hybrid variety. Couldn't find much background on this distinction.

After I'd snapped these photos, a certain Beet Fan was ready to shun the entire batch. Something about the photos looking "too commercial." This has something to do with the color of the beets, a really shocking red, but also my camera's tendency to amp up reds.

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