Fruits and Veggies - Fresh Canned Frozen

Harvard Beets

From the Strive for Five at School! Resources
Adapted from Canadian Cook Book, Nellie Lyle Pattinson

Preheat oven to 350°F
Yield: 8
1 – 8” x 8” baking pan
Portion: 1/2 cup (125 mL)
Cost per serving: $0.26

Ingredients
4 cups (2 x 14-oz cans) 1 L (2 x 398-mL cans) cooked beets (or canned)
1/4 cup (50 mL) white granulated sugar
2 tbsp (30 mL) cornstarch
pinch salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) thyme
pepper, to taste
1/4 cup (50 mL) unsweetened orange juice
1 cup (250 mL) water (or the reserved juice from the canned beets)
2 tsp (10 mL) non-hydrogenated margarine

1 If the beets are large, cut them into slices or cubes.
2 In a saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, salt, thyme, and pepper. Add the orange juice and water or beet juice. Stir until the mixture is smooth and there are no visible lumps of cornstarch.
3 Cook the cornstarch mixture until it thickens.
4 Place the beets in the pan, pour the cornstarch mixture over the top, and bake for 20 minutes to allow the beets to absorb the flavour of the cornstarch mixture.
5 Stir in the margarine just before serving.

Tip: Beets are probably something that you remember your grandparents eating. It’s time to introduce children to the round red variety that is most common in Nova Scotia.

Harvard Beets combine a thickened sweet-and-sour sauce with sliced or small whole beets. They may be served as a side dish with any sandwich, wrap, or entree selection.

Did You Know?

Beets are high in folate, fibre, iron, potassium, manganese, and vitamin C. They boast the highest natural sugar content of any vegetable. Their relative, the sugar beet, accounts for roughly 30 per cent of sugar production in the world.

Don’t forget the leaves! Often known as beet greens, the leaves are edible too. Beets were cultivated in prehistoric times for their leaves. The early Romans ate the tops, reserving the roots for medicinal purposes.

Fun ways to use beets:
- Grate beets over your salad to add colour and taste.
- Add chunks of beets to oven-roasted vegetables.
- Add a piece of beet to juice to make a fun new colour and add a sweet taste.
- Sauté beets with other root veggies for a pleasant stir-fry.
- Marinate beets in olive oil and herbs.
- “Beet” the cold by adding this colourful vegetable to stews.