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Wednesday 15 February 2012

Bizarre beetroot experiment (BBE152)

Next experiment up in the interests of getting added value from your veg before they are consigned to the compost heap! This time its the turn of some glorious, glossy beetroot.
I bought 6 organic beetroot from a local producer: the leaves had already been trimmed off but the leaf stumps remained - and young leaves were sprouting in amongst the stalks. How could I turn up the chance of growing young beet leaves for a salad in a few weeks time?
I took a thin slice from the top of each beet, just below the leaves, and put these stumps into a shallow dish of water. Meanwhile, the real beets are simmering in the bottom of the Aga. Its a good job that they will take a few hours to cook as I still haven't decided how to eat them tonight!

4 comments:

  1. What a great idea :) Sounds like you should be participating in the 52 Week Salad Challenge!

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  2. Thanks Emma! What an interesting idea and I have enough salad leaves growing to be able to take up the challenge immediately!I've never bought one of those salad packs that are sold at the supermarkets - just not my style! Mixed salad leaves are so easy to grow and you can pick individual leaves at their prime and eat them straight away.

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  3. Hi Giggler - thanks for popping over to my blog. I see we can learn lots from you :)

    Your beetroot experiment reminds me of a couple of years ago when I forced some overwintering beetroot to provide me with some deliciously early salad leaves. However, I used the entire root rather than the beet top. I wonder how your experiment will fare...

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  4. Hi VP. You have a very interesting Blog there. I keep going back and having another look!! I do like experimenting with veg, blurring the edges on conventional growing wisdom and seeing whether something different might, just, work. When I dug up the last of the beetroot at the end of 2011, I found some little tiddler beetroot that had grown in amongst them. Since I wanted the space, I replanted the tiddlers and, if nothing else, they'll be giving me some leaves very soon. The prunings in the photo above are shooting away quite happily in their tray of water in the unheated greenhouse. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!!

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