MANY PEOPLE HAVE an aversion to beetroot because the only way they have ever tasted it is boiled and drowned in vinegar!

If this is your experience, it deserves a second chance for it is a fine root crop, that is (a) easy to grow, (b) can be eaten all year round since it stores well , (c) is incredibly good for you and (d) has multiple uses – boil it, bake it, grate it in to salads, make chutneys, wine and even cakes (beetroot brownies, yum).

Try baking young, small beets – they are a revelation.

Sowing

Beetroot likes a deep, sandy soil, manured the previous winter. Apply organic fertiliser about a week before sowing. Germination is in about 10 days and you will have roots to eat in about three months.

Sow either in module trays (for careful transplanting about a month after sowing) or in situ outside about one inch deep, four inches apart in rows about 12 inches apart. Traditionally two seeds are sown at each point and then one is taken away when the seedlings are one inch high. Bear in mind that a beetroot seed is actually a “cluster” of up to five seeds, so you may need to thin out if they all germinate.

Sow every two weeks from April until July (for a continuous supply of young beets) although you can start even earlier (February or March) in a greenhouse or polytunnel. Sow another batch in July for winter storage.

Growing

Keep the ground weed free by hoeing carefully. Young beets are sensitive to cold spells which is why we generally wait until April to sow outside. Protect young seedlings with fleece if required. Overwatering encourages leave growth at the expense of root formation.

Harvesting

Start to harvest when they are golf ball size – leaving every second one behind to fully mature. Do not let beets grow larger than a tennis ball. You can also harvest the leaves for salads but not too many as the root needs the leaves too. Lift July-sown crop in October and store in sand – will keep for 3-4 months. Twist off leaves a few centimetres above root before storing. Handle carefully – they will “bleed” if damaged.

Recommended Varieties

Jannis, Boltardy, Chioggia, Alvro Mono, Boro.

Problems

Beetroot is generally trouble free but black bean aphid and mangold fly can occasionally be troublesome.

Tips

1. Soak seeds in warm water for 20 mins before sowing to aid germination

2. Beetroot doesn’t like dry soil and it causes “woody” roots (very unpleasant). Keep soil moist in dry weather and/or mulch to conserve moisture.

3. Smaller beetroot can be baked with their skins on in a parcel of tinfoil (approx 40 minutes depending on their size at 180 degrees celsius). Once tender, the skins should rub off easily under a tap.

Shutterstock / Natalia Evstigneeva Shutterstock / Natalia Evstigneeva / Natalia Evstigneeva

Recipe of the Week – Beetroot Marmalade

Many home-growers will still have beetroot either in the ground or in storage in a box of sand somewhere – a nice way to prolong their shelf life is this delicous beetroot marmalade from Alys Fowler’s wonderful preserving book Abundance.

I find this a great recipe for dealing with roots that have grown a little too large. It is a delicious accompaniement for cheeses and meats. The recipe filled 5 standard jam jars.

Ingredients:

• 1kg beetroot
• 100ml balsamic vinegar
• A handful each of fresh thyme and marjoram leaves
• sea salt, to taste
• zest and juice of one large orange
• 2 large red onions, finely diced
• 50g light brown sugar
•  2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
• 100g caster sugar
• 400ml red wine vinegar
• sterilised jars with lids

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 160C. Wash and peel the beetroot and cut into quarters. Place in a roasting tin with the balsamic vinegar, marjoram and thyme leaves, add az pinch of sea sla and grate over the orange zest (set aside the juice for later).

Mix everything together with your hands, cover with foil and roast for 40 minutes or until you can pierce the beetroot with a knife. Set aside to cool completely.

The following day, coarsely grate the beetroot into a bowl, scraping in any juices from the roasting tin. Place the diced onions in a large, heavy-based pan wih the light brown sugar and olive oil. Set over a very low heat and stir gently until the onions soften completely and start to caramelise.

Add the sliced garlic, grated beetroot, caster sugar, orange juice and red wine vinegar. Gently simmer for 30 minutes until the liquid has reduced by about two thirds, stirring from time to time to stop it from sticking.

You can tell when the relish is cooked when you can draw a spoon across the botom of the pan and it will initially stay clear before refilling wih syrupy juices. Scoop the hot relish into sterilised jars, cover with waxed discs and put on the lids. Store in a cool, dark place for up to six months.

Michael Kelly is a freelance journalist, author and founder of GIY.

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