| Unbeatable Beetroot! |
| Friday, 17 August 2012 18:04 |
|
Of all the vegetables in Australia, I don't think there's one that is more underrated than beetroot. More recently it's been pronounced as a superfood, with that incredible magenta colour hiding antioxidants such as betacyanin, giving credence to all the historic references of beetroot's health-giving properties. But to promote increased beetroot consumption on health grounds alone is to seriously sell this vegetable short. With an amazing earthy sweetness, bold flavour and colour, just promise me if you ever serve it on a hamburger it will be grated and raw… Varieties and Growing Tips
Beetroot likes a pH of about 6.5. Any higher than 7.0 and the soil alkalinity starts to prevent the uptake of boron which is essential for the edible root development. Caution also needs to be taken with soils too high in nitrogen as you'll end up with wonderful leafy growth but small beets! Please don't think this all has to be a complicated process, as once your garden is established it just becomes part of the natural flow. Simply plant beetroot after a heavy feeding crop such as cabbage, lettuce or asian greens. This way those previous crops will have taken up large amounts of the nitrogen in the soil. Simply add some well rotted compost and water once established with a seaweed based liquid fertiliser. If you're starting in fresh soil, avoid adding large amounts of high nitrogen fertiliser such as poultry manures (especially pigeon) instead favouring compost, worm juice and liquid seaweed products.
The beetroot seeds themselves can lead to some confusion as they are actually a cluster of seeds all stuck together (kind of). What you'll find is that you'll get several seedlings growing in the spot where you diligently only planted one seed. Treat this as a gift from nature and when big enough to pinch with your finger, remove the weaker seedlings (leaving the most vigorous) and use them as a micro green in the kitchen. If this backyard Darwinism isn't your cup of tea, you can try replanting - but it's very difficult not to damage the very fine taproot while they're so young. Nature can be cruel folks. As the beetroot grow you'll see the root become more visible. This is actually pretty handy as you can see how big your beetroot are growing, so fight the urge to hill soil around them as you would with leeks etc. Leaves can also be picked on younger beetroot and added to salads. Just take a few from each plant as you don't want to slow the growth by removing the plants' energy source!
Beyond tinned beetroot (sigh)
The latter in Poland is called barszcz and I was reliably informed by a local that Polish 'borscht' recipes came from the Ukraine not Russia. You know I'd never buy a Polish-made car, but I'm pretty sure no-one makes better soup. The idea of sweating a few onions, adding some chopped beetroot and stock and creating a soup in an hour would be laughed at. Even vegetarian soups such as barszcz start with pork of some sort, creating the stock in situ. Always made the day before consuming there is plenty of time for flavour to develop depth.
Beetroot is also fantastic grated raw. I first tried this at Wholefoods Cafe in Geelong back in the 1990s where they added it as a standard to their salad sandwiches and awesome tofu burgers. The Poles also make a cooked and grated beetroot condiment which when mixed with horseradish becomes "cwikla z chrzanem" - check out how to do that below. It also goes wonderfully with the pierogi I made a little while back when discussing potatoes. Dim lights Embed Embed this video on your site Another recipe that we collectively remain indebted to Stephanie Alexander for is chocolate and beetroot muffins. I've modified the recipe slightly using olive oil instead of vegetable oil for nutritional reasons without noticing the taste coming through at all. I mean chocolate and beetroot - what hope did the olive oil have?
Chocolate and Beetroot Muffins 60g organic butter, softened Method Cooking time is about 20minutes depending on your oven type. The tops should be springy but the centre will remain a lot more moist than normal muffins due to the beetroot, so be careful not to mistake this for them being underdone.
|
Gardening & Sustainability
Cauliflower – The Ultimate Comfort Food
Cauliflower makes me think of winter comfort food, but few gardeners realise that NOW is the time to plant it for the best results. This time of year... Read more
09 Apr 2013
It's Great To Be Corny
Believe it or not, corn is actually originated from a South American grass species called Teosinte. If you've grown it before this may not be t... Read more
06 Mar 2013
Bird Friendly Garden
To attract birds to your garden, grow Australian native plants such as grevilleas, banksias and bottlebrush, but go for a range of sizes and types to... Read more
21 Feb 2013
Dig Free Garden
This is a bed built on top of an existing bed, lawn area or even hard surfaces like concrete. Just like compost, you need a good amount of dry materi... Read more
21 Feb 2013
Bendigo Police Counter Terrorism Exercise
Local Police will today undertake Operation North Able. The anti terrorist exercise will involve all local emergency response agencies. The agencies...
23 May 2013 | Ballarat, Bendigo & Central Victorian News
Guy Sebastian Concert Evacuated
Concert goers at the Guy Sebastian performance in Bendigo last night were evacuated. Revellers attending the Guy Sebastian concert at the Capital Theatre ...
23 May 2013 | Ballarat, Bendigo & Central Victorian News
California Gully Fire Under Investigation
Police are investigating a suspicious house fire in California Gully yesterday. The Burch Court house caught on fire yesterday afternoon. Family members ...
23 May 2013 | Ballarat, Bendigo & Central Victorian News
Bullying Claims At Ballarat Police
Claims of Bullying within Victoria Police at the Ballarat police station have come to light. Former Sergeant Paul Irving, a 23-year veteran who was forced...
23 May 2013 | Ballarat, Bendigo & Central Victorian News
Senators Pay Up For Grabs
Claims of Bullying within Victoria Police at the Ballarat police station have come to light. Daylesford based Senator John Madigan is giving away part of ...
23 May 2013 | Ballarat, Bendigo & Central Victorian News
Pergola To Be Torn Down
The Lake View Hotels controversial Pergola will be ripped down after councillors decided its fate at last nights City of Ballarat council meeting. Council...
23 May 2013 | Ballarat, Bendigo & Central Victorian News
Burts Name Off M.A.D.E Plaque
The City of Ballarat has agreed to make the plaque for the Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka more historically accurate by removing Mayor John Burts...
23 May 2013 | Ballarat, Bendigo & Central Victorian News
Ramping Times Improving
The times taken to transfer patients from an ambulance to the Ballarat Base Hospital Emergency Department are improving according to Victorian Health...
23 May 2013 | Ballarat, Bendigo & Central Victorian News
Daylesford Tourism App Launched
Daylesford tourism has been boosted with the launch of the recent discover Daylesford smart phone app. The app will provide visitors greater access to loc...
23 May 2013 | Ballarat, Bendigo & Central Victorian News
V-Line Survey
V/Line commuters from Ballarat central Victoria are being given the chance to have their say on the performance of train services and the quality of...
23 May 2013 | Ballarat, Bendigo & Central Victorian News
Exploring Your Scottish Ancestry seminar
Exploring Your Scottish Ancestry seminar Date: 2013-05-25 Location: Uniting Church Hall, cnr Church and Camp Streets, Kangaroo Flat Start Time: 10 a.m. End T... Read more
09 May 2013
Free Green waste Disposal Weekend
The City of Greater Bendigo is allowing residents to dispose of green waste for free at the Eaglehawk and Heathcote Landfills on the weekend of May-25-26.... Read more
07 May 2013
City of Ballarat Community Safety Awards
Do you know of an individual or group whose actions have helped to improve the safety of our community? If so, nominate them now for the City of Ballarat 201... Read more
07 May 2013
Lister House - What re your memories?
From 1950 to 1989, Lister house at 37 Rowan street Bendigo, was home to the Northern District School of Nursing, a unique school that provided theoretical tr... Read more
07 May 2013
Food, Wine & Recipes
Wartook Roast Lamb
This recipe comes from Kate and is a tradition at my annual family getaway with two other families at Wartook. We generally get the Slow Cooker going early i... Read more
17 May 2013
The Devil's Roast Vegetables
Looks can be deceiving. If it's a healthy serve of vegetables you're after, this probably isn't for you. You will need. Potatoes, Carrots, Pumpkin, B... Read more
16 May 2013
Beauty Mate! Barbie Mat
If you're like me there is one thing that's frustrates you when cooking a Barbie - Marinated Meats! Well, stick no more! BBQ Mats have been around for a lit... Read more
16 May 2013
Two Cheese Macaroni
With winter around the corner, we are all on the look out for several warm recipes, here is a good one to consider. INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 Cup Macaroni125g Unsal... Read more
13 May 2013
Buy n Sell
18/05/13 Buy n Sell - Thanks to the Maryborough Golf Club Morreen – Creswick 0438 378 496 Westinghouse upright freezer 180ltr $250 Robert - Long gul... Read more
18 May 2013
Buy n Sell 11/05/13
Buy n Sell 11/05/13 Robert – Eaglehawk 5446 8583 70 lt Bar fridge 2yr perfect condition $90 Bernie – Sebastopol 0459 547 268 ATV Quad Bike ... Read more
11 May 2013
Buy n Sell 04/05/13
kerry - Kangaroo Flat : 0414 892 581 large bird cage, cage size height 131cm,depth 45cm width 79cm $85 Jim - Daisy Hill : 0419 896 680 Motorbike ... Read more
04 May 2013
Buy n Sell 270413
Wayne - Carisbrook 0427 301 922 Brass bed Kingsize Reproduction brass and enamal bedhead and foot with steel base frame suit kingsize ensemble $200 An... Read more
27 Apr 2013
Daily Giggle
Water Slide Tester?
A 22 year old student has landed his dream job - as a $AU30,000 a year water slide tester for a holiday company. Potential candidates were told they would ha... Read more
22 May 2013
Oops! Chemistry Experiment Test Sprinkler…
A teacher’s classroom experiment went dramatically wrong after he set off the sprinklers when trying to carry out a natural gas test. The incident happened ... Read more
21 May 2013
Twisted Tongue
Tongue twisters can be a lot of fun, especially if there's a challenge involved.These two thought they'd raise the stakes to make making mistakes a bit more ... Read more
17 May 2013
Increase in positive drug tests
Written By: Tom King AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou has labelled the rise in the number of players testing positive to illicit drugs as “disappointing.” Figures f... Read more
17 May 2013 | AFL LIve
Weekly Wrap
Written By: Julian Bayard ROUND 9 approaches with some games that could be thrillers, and some games that have the potential to be absolute blowouts. Dow... Read more
17 May 2013 | AFL LIve
High hopes for Hill
Written By: Bodey Dittloff Hawthorn’s next generation of players continue to show promising signs, after 19-year old Bradley Hill became the second player fr... Read more
10 May 2013 | AFL LIve
Latest free agent list
Written By: Tom King This is the latest list of restricted and unrestricted free agents, as released by the AFL on Wednesday. Restricted Free Agents Scott ... Read more
10 May 2013 | AFL LIve
Contact Us
Music & Memories
Doors Founder Dies
Ray Manzarek -- who co-founded "The Doors" with Jim Morrison in 1965 and played keyboard -- has died, this according to the band's official Facebook page. Ma... Read more
22 May 2013
The Show Must Go On
Leo Sayer (Gerard Sayer) was born in Sussex, England on 21st May 1948 (65). English singer/songwriter. He moved to Australia in 2005 and on Australia Day 20... Read more
21 May 2013
If I Could Turn Back Time
Cher was born Cherilyn La Pierre born in El Centro, California, on 20th May. In 1964, aged 18, she married Sonny Bono. The following year they had th... Read more
20 May 2013
Garden & Sustainability
Cauliflower – The Ultimate Comfort Food
Cauliflower makes me think of winter comfort food, but few gardeners realise that NOW is the time to plant it for the best results. This time of year... Read more
09 Apr 2013
It's Great To Be Corny
Believe it or not, corn is actually originated from a South American grass species called Teosinte. If you've grown it before this may not be t... Read more
06 Mar 2013
Bird Friendly Garden
To attract birds to your garden, grow Australian native plants such as grevilleas, banksias and bottlebrush, but go for a range of sizes and types to... Read more
21 Feb 2013
Photos
Bruce with a Loretta, one of our dedicate…
A year ago Bruce Lees, while broadcasting at Midland Irrigation in Ballarat, finally met Loretta. Loretta has been calling Bruce for Morning Mystery Music... Read more
22 Mar 2012
Easymix Ten-71 Central Victoria
Level 1, 27 Queen Street
Bendigo, Victoria 3550
Phone: (03) 5441 1071
Studio: (03) 5444 1071
centralvictoria@easymix.com.au
A part of the 100% Australian family-owned Grant Broadcasters network. ABN: 65 000 667 470