Love beets? Get LOVE BEETS.

[buttertart]

I love beets - particularly in vinegar, but in general - but my husband eschews them in any form. Saw the packages of "Love Beets" when I was ordering from Fresh Direct last week and couldn't resist. They are super, perfectly tender and nicely infused with vinegar (there are several vesrions available). Nice just to be able to sit down and stuff yourself with lovely tangy beets without futzing around with boiling or baking them, peeling them, dealing with the mess...

[Querencia]

In 1983 in Quebec City we had a very good and unusual beet salad in a restaurant. I have never made it but wrote it on a recipe card when we got home: Chopped pickled beets, chopped raw apple, chopped celery, shredded Romaine lettuce, chopped sausage---seemed like salami---and a vinaigrette dressing. I made a note that I thought cubes of cheese and some onion would have been good additions, and maybe ham instead of the sausage, and with a vinaigrette dressing the beets could be just cooked and not pickled.

[mamachef]

That's a Russian Vinaigret salad, Querencia.

[goodhealthgourmet]

are they noticeably sweet? i looked at the packages at WF the other day and was surprised to see how much added sugar they contain.

[magiesmom]

It looks like some varieties have no added sugar.

I don't get buying beets which have to be packaged and then flown to US when there are gorgeous local beets all fall.

[goodhealthgourmet]

you're right, the plain & the mild vinegar infused ones don't contain added sugar. but you're also right about the packaging & distance issue - i'm not going to waste plastic & pay a premium for a package of plain roasted beets, because i personally make them at home all the time...though if i was away from home without access to a kitchen i might appreciate such a convenient option.

[buttertart]

Suum cuique. I don't cook them because I'm the only one who'll eat them. In a perfect world, perhaps I would.

[goodhealthgourmet]

suum cuique indeed. i find myself saying that quite often here on CH :)

[KaimukiMan]

and for those of us less literate, Suum cuique = to each his/her own.

[KaimukiMan]

somewhere in the myriad threads on chow hound I read that some people pick up a strong soil flavor from beets, others don't. its like the cilantro/soap thing. some people have it, some don't.
(nice to see your posts popping up here and there mamachef)

[mamachef]

Mahalo, KM. I'm always glad to see you too. Yep, they do have a pleasant soil-ish taste to me, but cilantro doesn't taste of soap at all to my palate. Broccoli, which I usually love, however, can sometimes carry the taste of metal to me. Go fig.

[buttertart]

Tastes like dirt is a good thing sometimes. I get the broccoli thing too.
Love Beets - http://lovebeets.com/ - imported from the UK???

[mamachef]

These sound like an absolute must-try. Beets, Harvard beets, vinegared beets, tangy beets with orange.....all of it. Love them. I guess I just like food that tastes a bit of dirt, except mushrooms which taste TOO much like dirt even for me. But dang those sound good. If you check out my weirdest indulged food craving post, you'll see I've been eating a ton of them lately. Hey, I even had a shredded raw beet salad once that was most enjoyable, if a titch crunchy. Thanks for the hot tip: what other versions are there, though? Doing food shopping today, so these just hit the list. Doesn't that beet all?

[Breezychow]

Thanks for the heads up. Hubby hates beets, but I love them. This might be a nice way for me to enjoy them all by myself.

[Will Owen]

I love beets - fresh, canned, pickled, whatever - and so does Mrs. O. The local farmer's markets here in LA County are a great source for the fresh ones, plus those lush greens which I also love and Mrs. O does not (MINE! ALL MINE!!!). For some reason, they are both expensive and almost universally loathed in Nashville, so we were pretty much stuck with canned and/or pickled. Luckily, it's one of those few vegetables that are just as good canned as fresh, just in a somewhat different way.

[Tripeler]

Yeah, beet greens -- with some minced salt pork.
When I was a kid my Missouri grandmother would make these, along with some crispy fried okra.
Great memories.

[al b. darned]

What flavors have you tried, and which did you like est?

[buttertart]

Just the vinegar-infused. They taste like my mom's pickled beets when she wasn't mad at my dad for something and diluted the vinegar to a less eye-watering strength.

[gingershelley]

Thank you for posting to the BEET loving community, Buttertart:)

I will have to look for these flavored versions, but for last couple years, I have just been SO grateful that TJ's carries Melissas roasted plain beets. As you say - so great not to have to roast and peel, etc. and these I can do anything I want with, from on a salad, to sauteed with butter and seasoning's for a veggie side.
I remember my first extended trip to Italy 15 years ago, discovering that packaged pre-roasted beets were in every grocery store. I was so jealous. Nice we have caught up finally. One of the few 'convenience' foods that I really appreciate, and cheaper than heating my oven for an hour+!
BTW, if you love beets, have you tried them with a vanilla vinagrette? My new favorite. Haunting flavor with the earthyness of beets. Just had it last night:)

[buttertart]

Vanilla.sounds wonderful. How do you make the vinaigrette?

[kattyeyes]

I'll be interested to see gingershelley's recipe, too, but in the meantime, here's one of my favorite dressings featuring vanilla. I've made it frequently:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/5907...

[buttertart]

Thanks, k-e!!! Must try.

[mariacarmen]

oh yes, thanks KE, will have to try this soon. I'm bringing a beet and goat cheese salad to our office's thxgiving potluck luncheon, so that may be the perfect time.

[kattyeyes]

Yes, yes! Beet and goat cheese! And some pecans if you roll that way (I guess that'd be the nutty way and I do!).

[ithimis]

Beets with fried goat cheese
http://www.sophistimom.com/heart-beet...
I adapted the recipe and created an appetizer using spinach leaves as a base topped with a piece of the roasted beet with a drizzle of the dressing and finished with one of the fried goat cheese balls. Addictive.

[kattyeyes]

For the win--oh, my! ♥ ♥ ♥

[goodhealthgourmet]

fried goat cheese (or baked if you're feeling virtuous) deserves its own thread. try it with figs, toasted almonds, and a sherry vinaigrette.

[smartie]

now where's the like button!

[Isolda]

SSSHHH! What are you DOING? Our Whole Foods can't keep them in stock. Love the sweet fire version. Also enjoy the Trader Joe's beets for plain cooked.

[Linda VH]

Where would you find these in Whole Foods. Now don't go all wonky on me but.....I have always HATED beets. I would like to try these as my 15 year old and I have this deal - if you haven't tried something in quite some time you MUST try it again because ya just never know. I now like all kinds of things I hated years ago and sometimes the opposite. This sounds like an easy way to try them without ordering in a restaurant, etc.

[Isolda]

Don't worry, I never go wonky on people who hate foods I love. I have my own list of hated foods, after all. If you want to try the beets, they're in the refrigerated produce section, usually with the other cut up veggies. While you're there, pick up a package of grilled artichoke hearts. Those are also yummy.

[Linda VH]

love artichoke hearts!

[mariacarmen]

have you tried the Trader Joe's version? Not vinegary, but also nice to have on hand sometimes.... i do love beets.

i'm trying to google freshdirect, but the computer's acting up. i don't think we have it in the Bay Area...? Is it home delivery of groceries? I noticed just this weekend that Safeway (local supermarket chain - I'm sure you remember it) still has their home delivery trucks out and about - I thought they had ended that program when people complained about the yucky produce they'd receive.

[valerie]

Fresh Direct is a grocery delivery service in the NYC and some suburbs.