Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Beets


I decided to plant a couple beets for fun. Detroit Red Beets to be exact. I've never loved beets, but they are okay on salads. I've seen the light and I've changed my mind. Wow. A-mazing! I steamed these little red veggies until they could be pierced by a fork. We cut them in slices, threw on a tiny pinch of salt and pepper, and then devoured them. When I say we, I mean my 14 month old, my 3 year old, and the husband! I barely got a bite before all three were screaming for more! Little Lex is not a huge veggie fan and he couldn't get enough.

I kicked myself for only planting 2 squares of them. Only 9 in each square. Then my sweet little Dalton "helped" me weed. Subtract 3. A few just didn't grow so subtract more. We've eaten two. I am down to about 10 of these little beauties in my garden and am very overprotective of them.

These veggies are sweet yet a little tangy. There are so many reasons to try them! They are very high in folates, manganese, potassium. Ladies, these are a power food when you're pregnant! Folate is so important and just one cup of beets is almost half of the daily folate requirement.

When I steamed the beets I also steamed the beet greens (the leafy part that grows up above the ground). Make sure to cut the beet greens off before cooking. They were also really good. Not as great as the actual beet, but I would never complain if I saw them on the table.

Click here to read more facts. Grows well with almost every other plant. Don't plant with pole beans. It will stunt their growth. As for me, I'm going to go plant 4 more squares.

My square foot garden

I decided to start a new blog to keep track of everything going in and coming out of my garden. This is the first garden I've ever grown and to my dismay, I've got a jungle in my backyard!

Researching was my first and most important step. I looked up companion gardening, square foot gardening, how to mulch, etc. Yes. I was quite a beginner. I am very timid when I start big projects and feel like I need to know everything before I begin. I have learned so much and I think if I don't record my sucesses and trials I risk forgetting everything. Gardening season is pretty short here in Iowa and my brain seems to turn to freeze during the cold winters.

Anyway, I don't know if I'll have any readers besides myself, but this seems like the best way to stay organized. Maybe.