Beets Aplenty – Don’t Forget the Greens
The beet harvest is in. I didn’t weigh the bounty, but I’d ballpark it at about 10 pounds. We’ve eaten bunches, and I still have five pounds in the refrigerator. Happily for the harvest manager, beets come with greens. Yum! If you like Swiss chard, you’ll like beet greens. They’re related.
Beet tops cook up nicely. You can steam them with sliced beets. Alternatively, cut the greens into ribbons and saute with butter and garlic. Despite all this yummy-ness, one can only eat so much. Solution? Blanch and freeze those greens!
It’s easy. Wash the greens. I find three’s the charm. I wash them three times in a basin, pouring the water onto the outdoor shrubbery after each washing.
Next, pile a bunch of greens on top of each other and slice across the bunch to create strips. While you’re slicing, have a pot of water on the stove coming to a boil. Blanch greens in boiling water for two or three minutes, drain, and pack into freezer containers. Frozen greens will keep for months in the freezer, but they’re best if eaten within eight weeks or so.
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- Red and Golden Beets with Greens
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- Transfer two or three “tongs full” of greens from the basin to the boiling water to blanch for two or three minutes.
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- Drain the blanched greens in a colander and pack in freezer containers.
Save the Harvest 
Here’s another recipe that looks great: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/20/dining/off-with-the-tops-off-with-your-head-making-use-of-the-whole-beet-from-greens-to-root.html?_r=1&src=recg.
Here’s another recipe that looks great! http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/20/dining/off-with-the-tops-off-with-your-head-making-use-of-the-whole-beet-from-greens-to-root.html?_r=1&src=recg
Thanks for the pointer to this NYT article. I love that the author of the article spent time trying to convince his fellow shopper to take the greens along with the beets, suggesting she treat the beet greens like chard or spinach. Perfect!