Does anyone like BEETS?

I love beets but never had them fresh before. I bought some at a farm stand along with many other veggies. I have been eating canned beets all my life and I could live on them. Now I have a huge bunch and don't know what to do with them. Does anyone know how to cook them? My guess would be to boil them.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, I can't wait to eat them. Thank

You can boil them. You can bake 'em. I liked 'em baked. Casserole Dish, with a little nutmeg and water. I think it's 350 for 45 minutes or so

Thanks for such a fast reply. Do you peel them before cooking them?

don't forget to peel them!

You can eat them raw, too. Very sweet and crunchy...

I learned to boil them and then peel them, as the peeling came off more easily...

Thank you. Glad I read this first, I would have peeled them first lol I'm so excited, never had them fresh. Hope they taste like the canned.

I love them roasted in the oven.  I put them in foil and bake them, then peel them with a paper towel.  Be careful they will stain your hands.  When my son was a baby(he is 15 now) we grew them in the garden.  I did not want to waste anything so I would cook and grind up the beet greens.  Put them in the ice cube tray to freeze and just pop out a few, heat up and feed him.  He loved them.  Know he will not touch them.

I boil them cleaned, but unpeeled, then I peel them B4 eating.  It's way easier after they are cooked!

While they are hot, add just a pat of butter - butter and beets taste great!

after they're boiled,  'slip' the skins off under cold running water....that way u won't burn your fingers! -i like my beets with vinegar and pepper...yum yum!!!

Roasted beets are yummy, but they're slow cookers - they take as long as potatoes so don't expect them to be done in thirty minutes - if you want them cooked quicker, par-cook them in the microwave first. They also cook quicker if you cut them into wedges and put them onto a tray - no need to peel them because the skin will get soft when they cook.

One of my favourite ways to eat beets is in a roasted root veg medley. Cut beets, potatoes, parsnips, carrots, yams into 1" chunks (any combo of these veggies works great) and toss in a small amount of olive oil with chopped onions and herbs de provence or italian herbs, salt and pepper. Bake in a 400 oven for about 30 minutes or until all the veggies are soft and lightly browned. Sooooo goood.

I don't peel my vegs, the skins are good for ya.

Don't forget to eat the greens if you still have them. Cook them like spinach or chard in a covered pan with a little water in the bottom. Usually they're as good as the beets themselves, but the last bunch we ate tasted like they had been in an ashtray - too old, maybe.

That roasted root dinner can be turned into a New England boiled dinner with the addition of some soaked-out salt cod. A lobster and an ear or two of corn wouldn't hurt it either.

Beet greens are chard.  =)

Anyhow, they are also good raw, in a salad.  Less beety, but still delicious.

They are good on salads with goat cheese and walnuts ! :)

Lots more on beets from NYTimes

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/ser ies/recipes_for_health/beets/index.html

This beet and orange salad is scrummy - http://caloriecount.about.com/recipe/136260.h tml  It's best if you let the sliced beets and oranges sit in the dressing for a day or so in the fridge.

As mentioned above, I boiled the beets then put them under cold running water and the skins came right off.

Thank you so much for all of these ideas. I ended up boiling them and peeling under water. Chilled them in fridge then added a bit of garlic and vinegar.  Wow I loved them! Didn't think they would taste as good as canned, boy was I wrong. I even tried the greens. Steamed them with whole cloves of garlic and ate hot, they were very good as well.

Once again thanks for all of the tips. I can't wait to go to a farm stand again lol  The closest one is about an hour and a half away, so I'll make sure to buy lots next time.

Beets are really good....I make a beet salad.  I cook the beets then put the beets, feta, chopped up walnuts, red onion, the leaves from the beets as the salad, and balsamic vinegar all together.  It makes an awesome salad.

Loves em! I used to eat the jarred kind but then discovered how much sugar is in those, yikes!

They're awesome raw and shredded/grated in a salad, adds colour and crunch!

I say, with some degree of certainty, that I've cooked beets in every single preparation I can think of.

Grilled? Yep. Microwaved? Yep. Broiled? Yep. Raw, boiled, baked, deep fried, sauteed, steamed - it's all excellent. That's the great thing about root vegitables. They go everywhere.

I roast them whole with a bit of salt and spray on cooking spray.  I don't bother peeling them.  To me, the skins when cooked seem no more tough than that of a carrot.  Do not fear the peel!

I also like to boil (unpeeled, leave on half an inch of the tops and the roots as this stops all the red color bleeding out of the veg) when cold they peel easier then slice accross the grain. place in a dish cover with white vinegar mixed with a little sweetener then sprinkle with pepper, this will last for several days and is good in salads.