Hard to beet

OK, OK. Bad pun not withstanding, beets are very healthy root vegetables with high counts of Vitamin C, folate and potassium. Eat them raw, boiled, steamed or pickled. They are great in salads, or as a side dish. Choose beats that still have their green tops attached, and store them for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator or some other cool, dark storage space. These beets are fresh, picked about a mile away from where I live.

I love this version of pickled beets:

• Trim the greens off about a pound of beets, leaving about two inches of stem.
• Boil the beets about 30 minutes, until they are tender, and then let them cool. Peel off the skin.
• Slice the beets (be careful where the juice goes; it stains!) and remove any remaining stems.
• In a saucepan over low heat, combine about one and a half cups vinegar, a cup of water and half of a cup sugar.
• Stir until the sugar is dissolved, and pour the mixture into a mixing bowl, preferably one that has lid (the scent of vinegar will permeate everything).
• Add the boiled, sliced beets, and a can of beets, with their juice. You can also add a few hard boiled eggs.
• Let the mixture sit over night in the refrigerator so that the pickling process can take place.

www.meganklugh.com