BEHR Gemüsegarten: Products

Beetroot

Beetroot belongs to the goosefoot (Chenopodiaceae) family and is closely related to spinach, chard and sugar beet. It has its origins in the Mediterranean region, where it has been known as a medicinal and vegetable plant for over 2,000 years. It came to central and northern Europe with the Romans. The wild variety or ancestor of beetroot is the wild beet or sea beet.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the uniformly red-coloured beet known as beetroot, was created by refining wild beet. It is also often referred to simply as beet. There are also white and yellow varieties that, together with red beetroot, are a real feast for the eyes.

Beetroot has a slightly sweet, delicately earthy taste. Its red juice is so intense that it is often used as a natural colouring in the food industry. This colouring is known as beetroot red and can be found in a variety of foods and cosmetic products.

Cultivation and harvesting

Beetroot grows on fields in Winsen/Luhe and Bardowick (Lower Saxony) near the Elbe. This is because beetroot prefers a more temperate, maritime climate. It is also very important to ensure a good water supply to the soil.

Beetroot is harvested in September and October before the first frost. A special harvester is used to gently remove the vegetables from the soil.

Preparation and freshness tips

For most recipes, beetroot is boiled in salted water before preparation. You can use a fork to test whether the beet is soft enough. Then remove the beetroot from the water and peel it like a potato. Cooking makes it easier to remove the skin than peeling the raw vegetable, as well as preserving the valuable ingredients that would be lost when cooking without the skin. But be careful, you should always wear disposable gloves for peeling, as the vegetables will stain your hands.

Beetroot is a real all-rounder. It can be eaten raw grated in a salad, cut into wafer-thin slices as a carpacchio or cooked as a vegetable side dish or in soups.

When buying, make sure that the root is plump and the skin is intact. In addition to fresh beetroot, we also offer pre-cooked and diced beetroot.

At home, fresh beetroot can be stored in the fridge for a good week. If you want to keep the beetroot longer, you can boil it, peel it and freeze it cut into pieces.