The divisive beet

Image courtesy of the USDA and the Biodiversity Heritage Library

When thinking about what share item to blog about this week, I couldn't resist the call of the beet.  Beets have a fascinating culinary history eloquently summarized by Tori Avey on PBS.org.  Humans originally ate beet greens and not beet roots, and maybe in part for that reason early botanical illustrations of Beta vulgaris (common beet) focus on the foliage and flowers more than the root.  Beet roots were first recorded as being cultivated as a food crop in Europe in the 16th century, and they have remained a part of Western diets ever since.

Some people love beets and some people don't, and whether you're one or the other may come down to how much you love the beet's signature "earthy" taste which comes from the organic compound Geosmin, produced by a type of Actinobacteria.  This is also the compound that is responsible for the "fresh soil" scent after rain.

I love eating beets, but I hate cooking beets.  Thankfully, there are a slew of quick recipes using raw beets that are available online.  I'm intrigued by this extremely minimalist recipe from thekitchn.com:

Quick Beets with Chile and Lemon
Serves 2

4 small beets
Juice of 1 lemon
Chile powder

Peel the beets and thinly slice using a knife or mandoline.

Toss with lemon juice and a pinch of chile powder. Taste and add more chile powder if desired.

If you don't like beets, stop worrying about changing your mind and finding the "perfect recipe" to change your tastes.  Consider, instead, gifting your unwanted beets to a fellow CSA-er with a jones for Geosmin.