My Heart Beets
The writer at work in the beet patch.
by Colin W.
Legacy Farms Apprentice
One of my favorite things about Legacy Farms is knowing that I reap what I sow. The first time I harvested a crop felt very gratifying, like my effort had really paid off. I feel similarly when it comes to school, put in the effort and I get good grades. In the garden, I can physically hold my success and even make a meal out of it. But this week’s harvest was different, and made me feel like my effort wasn’t valued.
A beet pulled fresh from the Legacy Farms’ garden.
The reason had to do with what we were harvesting. Beets. I never understood why people grow and eat beets. They have a very earthy smell and taste, which turned me off from them pretty quickly. What’s stranger is that I’d never heard anyone talk about how nutritious beets are. Even the other veggies I’ve written about (chard and kale) have been mentioned in passing by family members. With all of this in mind, I decided to look into beets and see if they hold any value.
To my surprise, beets are very nutritious and provide a slew of health benefits. The average beet contains 1.7 grams of protein, 0.2 grams of fat, 2 grams of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin B6, as well as magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, and iron. I should also mention that on average, beets contain about 44 calories. Beets can also help with digestive issues, keep your blood pressure in check, can improve your athleticism, and can improve your brain’s health. I wonder why nobody ever mentioned beets to me? All of this sounds great!
Equipped with my new nutritional knowledge of beets, I decided to prepare a meal centered around beets. One of our associates, Chef Ingrid at Lightfoot Restaurant, had whipped up a recipe for roasted beets with a side of feta cheese.
Now, I’m not exactly an ace in the kitchen, so preparing this meal was a bit of a challenge. But even with my lackluster skills in the kitchen, my roasted beets turned out pretty good. They tasted like a mix of potatoes and carrots, which wasn’t too bad. It only takes an hour and fifteen minutes to prepare, so if you want to try your hand at it, there is a link at the bottom of our article.
Some roasted beets with a topping of feta cheese.