Skip to the beet

Farmer's markets are full of great seasonal and local produce these days. And I've been heading straight for those unusual beet varieties. Check out what I picked up yesterday.   From left to right here are their names: Candy cane: They have a pinkish-coloured skin and are pink and cream-striped on the inside (these ones don't happen to be as striped as some). Taunus: dark purply red with sort of an elongated shape. Bull's blood: average-sized with dark purple leaves. Lutz green leaf: they're on the small side with green and pink stalks stems.  They all cook up the same as the beets that you might find more commonly in the grocery store: those are usually red ace. Except watch out for the lil' ones, they cook much faster. If you're looking for a great recipe, I suggest our Warm beet salad. It's a vinaigrette style beet recipe that's simple and not overpowering in flavour so the beets get to be the star.

You'll find it at en.chatelaine.com/applications/recipe/article.jsp?recipeId=5544

My quick beet tip: don't trash those lovely green beet tops. Just chop them and add to a stir-fry. They add serious flavour. Do you like beets as much as I do? What's your favourite way to eat them?