Beets

  • I've tried beets a couple of times now, and they just taste like dirt to me. I've tried fresh and canned, but I just don't like them.

    Is it just me?
  • Sometimes beets can have a very earthy taste to them Do you like pickled beets? They are sweet and tart, but not all diet plans allow them due to the sugar content. I recently started roasting beets by scrubbing well and tossing with olive oil, and roasting until tender. Then you slip the skins off, and use them either in a recipe or by their selves. They are yummy!
  • My sister has a sensitivity to things that taste earthy, so I don't think it's just you. Have you tried some of the heirloom varieties (they come striped and in different colors?) They may be more palatable for you. There are plenty of different veggies out there that are healthy. So if you can't eat beets, it's okay. Find what you will enjoy.

    Personally I love beets! I love them roasted or in borsht. DH likes them grated raw as a salad, but they are too fiberous tasting for me raw.
  • My DH Said the same thing. They taste like dirt . But I made them a few times and he got used to it and now he realy likes them. I personaly love them, they are so sweet.
  • I haven't tried pickled beets lately. I've never heard of the heirloom varieties of beets. Are those commonly found in markets or specialty stores?
  • I love beets - fresh out of the garden and boiled. My sister also has a problem with them but if she cooks them really well - no crispyness left, then she really likes them, too.
  • I HATED beets, also because they tasted like dirt to me. Then when I was in my mid-twenties, I was helping my mother with a garage sale and we ordered greek salads from Little Caesars. Before I had a bite of my salad, my mom was spearing my beets to put on her salad. I protested, on the grounds that I should at least be given a chance to decide whether I want something on my plate before someone grabs it. To save face, I felt I had to at least try the darn thing, and realized that I actually liked it.

    That being said, I think they still taste like dirt - but in a GOOD way LOL!
  • Quote: That being said, I think they still taste like dirt - but in a GOOD way LOL!
    LOL!
  • They taste like dirt to me, too. Ewwwwww. I just don't do beets.
  • BTW, I highly recommend the websit vegetablestastelikedirt.com It's a very cool site a woman started to share her story. She has lost 100 lbs and has 100 to go. She has a sticker chart at work (takes guts!) for each pound to lose. Friends, family, and coworkers have each "sponsored" a lb, and when she reaches "their" pound they've promised to do something for her (or in some cases stop doing things to her).
  • What a great idea, i'm going to check out that website.

    I have always looooved beets. Mostly pickled beets with eggs were one of my favorite things as a child - i think because they were sweet and PURPLE!

    I like them roasted in the oven w/ olive oil & salt & pepper - but I do think that taking the skin off will probably improve on the dirty taste to them. Also making sure they are nice and cleaned up. Oooh - and don't forget you might enjoy the greens- I usually just wilt them in my wok the same as I would spinach. Yum!
  • I'm a beet fan, I never quite understood the "tastes like dirt" thing, to me they taste sweet. (Now brussel sprouts, that's another story - yuck!). My favorite preparation is just to roast them in the oven. Easy as can be, and then I slice them up for salads or whatever. I normally have red, yellow, candied, etc., but for some reason, this year the farmers markets don't seem to be carrying anything other than the red beets. Has anyone else noticed this?

    But hey, to each their own - there are enough veggies in the world that if one doesn't trip your trigger, there's no reason to try to force yourself to like something you really don't want to eat.
  • My family hates beets, but they love Borscht, so maybe you want to try that if you really want to eat beets? Or just eat something you like :-)
  • I do love beets in borscht. Not the cold "cream of beet," type borscht, but the "beef vegetable soup" type of borscht. The recipe I use included beef, onion, celery, carrots, potato, cabbage, tomatoes and beets. I just leave out or cut back on the potatoes and carrots. When you add beets to a vegetable beef soup recipe, the beet flavor fades into the background.
  • There is a deviled beet recipe somewhere on here. I've made that several times. I didn't think I liked beets. Well, I didn't. My mom, being southern, had to boil everything into oblivion. She would take canned beets and boil them. They were right up there with the boiled cabbage that I tried to mail to the starving children overseas.

    We were having something for dinner one night and boobalah wanted pickled beets. I tried them and realized that they are good. Keep in mind this is after spending almost a half century without them.

    Then I found the deviled beets recipe on here. It has become a staple in our kitchen now. The greens can be a bit tough. I have to add a little more water to them when I saute them.