Food for all Copy & Share this nutrition resource with our permission with blessings from The Salvation Army Penticton Community Ministries
FOOD FOR ALL is provided by: The Salvation Army Community & Family Services 2399 South Main Street Penticton, BC V2A 5J1 Phone: 250-492-4788 Fax: 250-492-8813 If you like what you see and you would like to support us, you may send your donation to the above address. Community Kitchen Better Meals Fund
Give us this day our daily bread and veggies too please! Eating a variety of colours every day is a good way to get all the minerals & vitamins your body needs.
BEETS
NUTRITION NOTES Both root and greens can be eaten! Beets are an excellent source of antioxidants, minerals, Vitamin A, Vitamin C and potassium. Always follow the advice of your health care provider if you have a health condition that requires you to follow a special diet.
BEST BUDDIES are fresh dill and sour cream
HOW TO SELECT BEETS Choose small to medium sized, bright, firm, purple-red beets with fresh un-wilted tops and smooth skins. Smaller beets will be sweeter and more tender. Choose organic whenever possible. Two pounds equals about four servings. HOW TO STORE THEM Remove tops, leaving stem attached. Reserve these greens and serve them right away. Refrigerate unwashed beet roots in a plastic bag for up to one week.
HOW TO CLEAN THEM If you are buying whole beets, separate the root from the top leaves as they rob moisture and nutrition from the roots. Use them while they are fresh. Cut off all but 1 inch of beet tops. Wash beets; leave whole with root ends attached. The red colour in beets can stain many surfaces, including towels. Take care when using!
BEET ROOTS The root may be peeled, steamed and then eaten warm with butter as a delicacy; cooked, pickled and then eaten cold as a condiment; or peeled, shredded raw, and then eaten as a salad. The roots are also eaten as a cooked vegetable, or as a salad after cooking with added olive oil, vinegar, or lemon juice, and for soup (borscht). Garden beet juice is also a popular health drink. Mix with other vegetable juices, like carrot or celery
BEET TOPS or BEET GREENS Wash beet tops thoroughly in clean running water. Drain and pat them dry. Cut away stems. Cut leaves and stalks into 1 to 2 inch pieces. Bring water to a rapid boil in a large pot. Cook the stalks first for 3 or 4 minutes or until tender. Then add the leaves and cook another 2 minutes uncovered. Drain and season with fresh herbs or add a little butter or olive oil for a simple salad to serve immediately. A little sour cream also compliments beet greens very nicely.
HOW TO FREEZE BEETS Select smooth, dark-coloured beets. Leave 2 inch stems and tap root; wash; cook until tender. Cool; remove skin, stem & tap root. Leave whole, quartered. Sliced or diced. HOW TO BOIL BEETS Scrub well. Cut off tops, leaving 1 inch stem and root. Put in pot, using 6 cups boiling water to cover and 1 tablespoon white vinegar (to keep red colour), if desired. Cooking time: Small, whole, 30 to 60 minutes. Large, whole, 1 to 2 hours.
HOW TO BAKE BEETS Bake beets like potatoes in their own jackets. Preheat oven to 325 F. Wash, taking care not to break the skin. Trim the tops, leaving 2 inches of stem. Place them on a pan and bake until tender. Allow 30 minutes for young beets and 1 hour for old beets. Slip off skins. Season the beets with salt & paprika. Serve them with melted butter. HOW TO STEAM BEETS Cover 45 to 50 minutes or until tender. Add boiling water during steaming, if necessary.
HOW TO MICROWAVE Place in a 1 ½ quart casserole, add 2 cups water. Cover. Microwave 18 to 20 minutes, stirring once, until tender. Let stand covered 5 minutes and drain. If the beets are small serve whole, if larger, slice. Season to taste with melted butter, chopped parsley, lemon wedges, grated parmesan cheese, sour cream or white sauce. HOW TO PRESSURE CAN Use firm, ripe freshly harvested beets with roots intact to prevent bleeding. Trim tops, leaving root and 2 inches stem. Scrub well. Place in saucepan; cover with boiling water; boil until the skins slip off easily. Rinse in cold water; remove skins; trim off stems & roots. Pack baby beets whole; slice or cube medium or large beets, season, add liquid. Heat process in 500ml jars 30 minutes. 1 L jars, 35 minutes
FOUR FABULOUS LITTLE BEET RECIPES Tried, true and tested in our Community Kitchen 1. SAUTÉED BEET GREENS 2. HARVARD BEETS 3. BABA OLGA S BORSCHT 4. BEET LEAF ROLLS
RECIPE 1 Sautéed Beet Greens Ingredients: 4 cups chopped beet greens, including stems 2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil 1 tablespoon grated fresh horseradish or grated ginger (one or the other, not recommended to use both horseradish & ginger) 1 finely chopped small onion ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard Heat butter or vegetable oil in a large skillet. Add chopped beet greens. Add remaining ingredients and cook, stirring constantly until the greens are wilted, about 5 minutes. *try using Swiss chard instead
RECIPE 2 Harvard Beets Ingredients: 2 medium-sized beets, do not peel; ¾ cup sugar 6 tsp. cornstarch 1/3 cup white vinegar 1/3 cup water 3 tbsp. butter ¼ tsp. pepper Cook beets in salted water until tender (approximately 30 to 45 minutes). Drain, drop in cold water for 1 minute. Skin with finger tips. Cut into ½ inch cubes.
RECIPE 2: HARVARD BEETS continued In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, vinegar and water. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook 5 minutes. Add the beets to the liquid and simmer for 30 minutes over low heat. Stir in butter, salt & pepper. Remove from heat and let stand (to marinade) for at least 30 minutes. Serve warm or chilled.
RECIPE 3 Baba Olga s Borscht Ingredients: 4 medium-sized beets, peeled, julienned and diced 1 chopped onion 2 carrots, cubed 1 cup shredded green cabbage 1 stalk chopped celery ½ cup to 1 cup of canned or frozen lima beans or fava beans 14 fluid oz. of canned tomatoes ½ small can of tomato paste 1 potato, peeled and cubed Stems and leaves from the 4 beets, chopped (or 1 big leaf of kale, or swiss chard or 1 cup chopped spinach) Salt and pepper to taste
RECIPE 3: BABA OLGA S BORSCHT continued 1 to 3 tsp. fresh or dried dill 1 cup sour cream (1% or 5%) 1 to 3 tbsp. white vinegar (or to taste) Directions: Sauté the beets and stems in about 2 tbsp. olive or canola oil for about 5 minutes. Put all ingredients into a large pot, except for the fresh dill, vinegar and sour cream. Hold back the beet leaves until the last 10 to 15 minutes of cooking. Add enough water to the pot to cover the ingredients. Plus an extra 2 cups water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the vegetables are tender. About 30 to 45 minutes. Add the leaves for the final 10 to 15 minutes of cooking time. Add the dill and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add 1 to 3 tbsp. white vinegar to taste and slowly blend in the sour cream to taste.
RECIPE 4 Beet Leaf Rolls Choose young fresh beet leaves. (May also use swiss chard leaves or cabbage leaves) Wash well. Wilt leaves for 1 minute in hot water. Prepare Rice Mixture for 3 dozen beet leaves Rice Mixture: 1 cup onion, chopped fine ½ cup butter 2 cups water 1 cup rice ½ cup chopped fresh dill Dash pepper 3 dozen beet leaves 1 cup heavy cream (half & half or whipping) Sauté ¾ cup onions in butter
RECIPE 4: BEET LEAF ROLLS continued Bring water to a boil Add rice, sautéed onion and 2 Tbsp dill, turn heat to low; cover tightly and simmer for approximately 15 minutes. Set aside and cool. Place a spoonful of the rice mixture onto each beet leaf; roll and tuck in ends. Place rolls in layers into a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle each layer with remaining ¼ cup onion and dill. Pour cream over the beet leaf rolls Cover and bake in 300 degree F oven for 45 minutes. HINT: Beet leaf rolls may be made ahead, frozen separately on cookie sheet, and then placed in medium-sized freezer bags for individual meal packets.
HOW TO GROW BEETS Beets can be seeded into cool soil early in the spring and should be ready to harvest from as little as 55 to 80 days, depending on the variety. Seed directly into the garden bed beginning in late April to mid-july. Beets will not produce roots if planted when the soil is too cold. Seeds will germinate in 5 to 12 days, depending on soil temperature. Optimal soil temperature is 10 to 26 C. The soil should be moist but not sodden and cool to the touch, not really cold. Each plant requires enough space to reach size. Eat thinned plants, roots and all. Exposure: Full-sun or partial-shade. Beets grow best if exposed to at least 6 hours of sunlight a day.
Harvest at any size. In North America, beet harvest runs mid-summer through early Fall; but for the best flavour, pull the beets as soon as they have reached full-size.
YOUR BEET NOTES, TIPS & RECIPES
YOUR BEET NOTES, TIPS & RECIPES
YOUR BEET NOTES, TIPS & RECIPES
Food Banks are not a solution to the issues of poverty and hunger in our communities. We are turning a page. The Salvation Army Penticton Community Ministries is dedicated to helping supply the basic human need for food through our food bank, but we are also looking at long-term solutions like getting back to the basics of buying in bulk, cooking from scratch, and growing vegetables and preserving them!
Prayer of Gratitude Thank you Lord For the abundance of food we are about to receive for the nourishment of our bodies. Thank you for the community of people that you have blessed us with to plant and harvest this food that we may feed our neighbours and ourselves.
We sincerely thank: Lee McFadyen for the How to Grow it pages Sarah Campbell for the artwork Lorraine Pattison for her food wisdom Donna Benson for her Vision Lester Patrick for the photography
This FOOD FOR ALL BEET HAND BOOK has been sponsored by and Campbell s Canada is the founding sponsor of the Community Kitchens Better Meals fund, helping Canadians to reconnect to the preparation of simple, better-for-you meals With warm thanks to our designer & printer:
Our Community Kitchen runs each Thursday out of our fully equipped commercial kitchen at our church location on 2469 South Main. Make meals to take home, learn the basics of making nutritious meals from scratch, try new ethnic recipes, learn to can and dehydrate local fruits and vegetables, enroll in nutrition education classes. To pre-register call 250-492-4788
THE SALVATION ARMY PENTICTON COMMUNITY GARDEN Learn to grow it! Call the Food Bank at 250-492-4788 to get involved.