I knew I was staying busy and I knew I was neglecting the garden. But it really hit home when I looked at the long neglected beets. Oops. This one was about the size of a large grapefruit. They’re usually harvested when they’re the size of a fist.
I remembered to weigh this one before we cut it up (“Honey, would you get out the chainsaw?”) It was slightly over 7 pounds without the greens and roughly the size of a large cantaloupe.
If you have the opportunity to find beets fresh enough to have attached leaves, the greens are very tasty and loaded with nutrients.
Despite their heft these weren’t woody and were very tasty. If I had more time I’d have pickled and canned them. But then if I had more time I’d have harvested them a month ago.
Dear Key, that’s the biggest beet I’ve ever seen. In fact it’s bigger than most cop’s beats. Oh, wait, that’s something else. Someone asked me what you were going to do with it, and what else could I say, but “Beets me!”
That is big!
My wonderful children recently treated me to a very fine meal at a lovely local restaurant, and one of the sides I chose was beet salad. I was surprised when it arrived with the biggest beet I have ever seen before…that is until you posted these photos. My salad was a delicate pink (cut to a manageable size, tho). I agree with you about the tasty greens. When I buy them at the Farers Mkt I make sure that the bunch I choose has fresh greens attached.
Love this post – the last sentence gave me a giggle. I’m impressed that the beets got so big and weren’t woody. How many meals did each beet make? I do love beets – large or small.
What did you make with it? I’m not so fond of beets, but I’ll eat them if they’re prepared well.
Good grief! I had no idea beets could get that large and certainly won’t expect them to be edible. Borscht, anyone???