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Availability

You can start harvesting in midsummer when the roots are about 2 inches in diameter; they will grow to about 4 inches in diameter. Supplies generally last through the winter.

How to Buy

Look for firm, not spongy, roots, and avoid any with bruises and soft spots. If the greens are attached, they should be vibrant, not yellowed or wilted. Smaller beets are less likely to be woody in texture.

Storage

For short-term storage, trim off any green tops. Store greens and roots separately in plastic bags in the refrigerator in a plastic bag; the greens will keep for 3 to 4 days, the roots for a couple of weeks. For long-term storage, store in a root cellar.

Preparation

Wash well. Do not peel beets before boiling or roasting. Just scrub well, trim off the tops, leaving 1 inch of stems, and trim off the dangling roots within 1 inch of the bottom of the beet. If you are grating to sauté or serve raw in a salad, peel with a paring knife.

Cooking Ideas

Raw beets are a delicious, unexpected addition to salads. Peel and grate, shred, or julienne very finely. Red beets will stain every vegetable they touch, but golden beets will not. I prefer to taste the beet before using raw; sometimes they have a strong mineral flavor that needs taming with cooking. Generally, the younger the beet, the better it tastes raw, which means that beets lend themselves to raw preparations in the fall but as winter progresses, plan to cook them.

When cooking is required, the recipes generally call for boiling or roasting them. Either method is fine, but roasting preserves their flavor better.

To roast, preheat the oven to 350°F. Wrap the beets individually in aluminum foil and roast for 50 to 60 minutes, depending on the size, until fork-tender. The skin may be removed after roasting, but it isn’t always necessary.

To boil beets, put them in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until fork-tender, 30 to 60 minutes, depending on size. Peel after boiling; the skins will just slip off.

Beet Math

1 small beet = 2 ounces

1 medium beet = 3 to 5 ounces

1 large beet = 8 to 10 ounces

1 pound = 4 to 5 medium beets = 3 cups cubed beets = 4 cups shredded beets

Carrots

Carrots are such perfect vegetables when freshly harvested that it is hard to imagine improving upon them by cooking. But, alas, sugars convert to starches as the winter progresses, and cooking may be the best option. If the very idea of cooked carrots makes you shudder, you have probably been subjected to boiled carrots at some point in your life. There are better ways to cook carrots, with roasting top-ping the list.

Carrots have been reverting to their roots lately and appearing in many different colors. In Egyptian times, the carrot was purple. The Romans enjoyed white and purple carrots. Purple, white, and yellow carrots were imported to southern Europe in the fourteenth century. Black, red, and white carrots were also grown.

Carrot consumption in the United States increased sharply in the 1990s, from about 10 pounds per person per year to 14 pounds. This is probably due to the appearance of bagged “baby” carrots in the supermarkets. These “babies” are actually carved from large carrots grown in California, washed in chlorinated water, and packed for a long shelf-life. It’s hard to see how this is actually an improvement over market-grown or homegrown local carrots.

Among the nutrients that make carrots such a healthful option are the carotenoids, which are converted to vitamin A in the liver and are essential for the body’s maintenance of vision, skin, teeth, and the immune system. Carrots are also a good source of vita-mins C and K, fiber, and potassium.

Availability

Carrots are available year-round, but freshly harvested carrots are superior in flavor.

Storage

For short-term storage, trim off any green tops. Store the carrots in perforated plastic bags in the refrigerator, where they will keep for several