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Farm Kitchen:  beets are my autumn smell...  |
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prairie_princess
True Blue Farmgirl
613 Posts
Elizabeth
Carpenter
WY
USA
613 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 31 2010 : 06:27:28 AM
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I made up my first batch of beets last night.... easy refrigerated pickled beets, no canning required, for my hubby's birthday today! This batch was just from thinning the bed, but we already have lots of greens to eat and tiny beets. I realized, as I was boiling and skinning them, beets are the smell of autumn for me. I think they are the most earthy smelling garden product... I didn't even like beets as a kid, but now, they are the epitome of my hard work in the garden! Problem is, now when I'm harvesting them in the summer, just smelling them makes me ansy for fall! I'm not sure if it's because last year we harvested our entire garden one day in september before the first hard frost... it was probably the hardest working day in my life! On top of harvesting everything, my hubby and I spent hours making and canning strawberry jam and pickled beets. They say smell is one of the strongest links to the past... I wonder if that's why I associate beets with fall? Does anyone else have similar stories?
"Only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
- Guy Clark
"The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the world."
- Charles Dudley Warner |
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Cabin Dreamer
True Blue Farmgirl
54 Posts
Brenda
Cortland
NY
USA
54 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2010 : 03:49:30 AM
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| What a small world! I put some red beets in my freezer yesterday.(had to have some for lunch as well). Then I checked our golden beets that we(hubby & me) planted a couple weeks later and they are doing good! I thinned them out and had a batch for supper. Beets beets and more beets! They were really sweet! I have not had the greens - I should probably cook them up as well. It seems like everything is ready early this year. I need to pick blueberries yet. Fall smells for me are apples and winter squash.Fall is my favorite time of the year but it seems like it only lasts a week. |
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Lessie Louise
True Blue Farmgirl
1406 Posts
Carol
PECULIAR
MO
USA
1406 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2010 : 03:55:51 AM
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I put up some beets a few weeks ago. I know what you mean by that earthy smell. This year I planted some that were red striped, they were the sweetest beets ever.
Forget buns of steel, I'd rather have buns of cinnamon!
Don't out smart your common sense!!
Farmgirl #680! |
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Cabin Dreamer
True Blue Farmgirl
54 Posts
Brenda
Cortland
NY
USA
54 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2010 : 04:06:57 AM
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| I have bullseye beets planted at our garden at the cabin. they are red/white - sounds like a similar variety to the red striped. I better go there and see if they are ready.(any excuse to go to the cabin). I try to plant something different every year, this year we experimented with golden and bullseye beets. |
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Fiddlehead Farm
True Blue Farmgirl
4562 Posts
Diane
Waupaca
WI
USA
4562 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2010 : 04:32:06 AM
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I canned my beets yesterday and you are right, they smell like the earth (dirt)!
http://studiodiphotosite.shutterfly.com/
farmgirl sister #922
Happy to be a "Raggedy Ann" in a Barbie World! |
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prairie_princess
True Blue Farmgirl
613 Posts
Elizabeth
Carpenter
WY
USA
613 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2010 : 08:10:27 AM
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Brenday, have you had luck putting your beets in the freezer? I tried that the first year with the few that actually came up, but didn't really know how to use them after I froze them... so we started pickling and canning them. How does freezing them change their texture?
"Only two things that money can't buy, that's true love and homegrown tomatoes."
- Guy Clark
"The man who has planted a garden feels he has done something for the good of the world."
- Charles Dudley Warner |
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Cabin Dreamer
True Blue Farmgirl
54 Posts
Brenda
Cortland
NY
USA
54 Posts |
Posted - Aug 01 2010 : 08:31:56 AM
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Elizabeth, I have put beets in the freezer the last 2 years. I cook them with the stem and tap root until tender, then peel them and of course cut off the stem and tap root. last year I sliced them and put them in freezer bags. They were a quick and easy side dish - just heat them up on the stove or microwave. This year I decided to cut them in chunks. I still have a couple packages from last year, they are still fine. The texture stays the same as when you first cook them. I like them just warmed up with salt,pepper, and a little butter. |
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Lessie Louise
True Blue Farmgirl
1406 Posts
Carol
PECULIAR
MO
USA
1406 Posts |
Posted - Aug 02 2010 : 06:59:36 AM
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Brenda, that is great to know you can freeze. I wonder if you can still pickle them after they have been frozen? I don't know why you couldn't, I may try that this year.
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting them in a fruit salad!
Farmgirl #680! |
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gramadinah
True Blue Farmgirl
3557 Posts
Diana
Orofino
ID
USA
3557 Posts |
Posted - Aug 02 2010 : 07:03:07 AM
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Would you share you pickle recipe Please.
Diana
Farmgirl Sister #273 |
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natesgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1735 Posts
angela
martinsville
indiana
USA
1735 Posts |
Posted - Aug 02 2010 : 07:49:21 AM
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I am makin beet jelly with mine! I only need the juice after I boil them for that. So, any suggestions for the cooked beets? What do I do with them and how do I put them up?
Farmgirl Sister #1438
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important? |
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Meg
Moderator/Farmgirl True
974 Posts
Meg
Idaho
USA
974 Posts |
Posted - Aug 02 2010 : 10:43:56 AM
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I was just thinking fall this morning...Those late summer smells and sounds were reminding me that my favorite season is just around the corner! It is amazing what sounds and smells can conjoure up. MmmMmm, and beets would sure do the trick too!
MaryJane's daughter,
Meg
megan@maryjanesfarm.org |
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vintagediva1
True Blue Farmgirl
1251 Posts
Michele
Brighton
Michigan
USA
1251 Posts |
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Farm Kitchen: beets are my autumn smell... |
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beets are my autumn smell...
