General Chat

wear a pair of rubber gloves whilst you prepare them We used to have cubed beetroot at school as a veg. Have got a recipe for beetroot chutney to make in microwave, it was delicious. Can't seem to find beetroot to boil in supermarket (asda) very often.

Right, hope I have not missed anyone...I do like to try and thank everyone personally. Buttercup - Many thanks for that...I take it wee wee might be a strange colour then? lol. Betty Boo - Many thanks x Val - Will try to keep an eye on the water level x Dawnie - I have enough trouble with the kids hands, various shades from school, lol Will try roasting them with some carrots and potatoes tonite x Lady of Leisure - 1 and a half hours ! Glad I asked now, lol x Jim - Fantastic tip, my veggie growers book mentioned bleeding if grazed or knocked x Christine - not to keen on the vinegar either, not gonna add tooo much, just wanted to pickle some for christmas (need to plan ahead) x Dizzy Lizzy - Sounds yummy - will make some of that with the next lot I dig up x Baby doll - will remember to open kitchen window and close door to rest of house x Linda - another great tip, shall stick a sandwich bag on my hand. Do I make the jelly up as usual? Gwyn - Thanks for that tip x Joyce - You sound just like me x Jen - thanks for that, both of my parents have high blood pressure so I shall make sure they get some x Gillie - Ohhhhh, now that sounds scrummy. Will make some of that for sure. x Kris - Now I am starving...I do like my cheese x Pen x

Thank you Jacquie and Valice x

Hi I bring mine to the boil in plain water, then turn the heat down, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes of til just tender. Leave to cool. I don't add anything to it. Beet has it's own taste. It's also, as with garlic and red onion, very good for your blood!!

you boil it for between 90 mins and 2 hours depending on how large they are, then leave to cool, peel and either serve as is or add vinegar if you're intending to store it... its also nice roasted :o)

We are lucky here (France), we can buy fresh beetroot already cooked. There seems to be two different ways of them cooking it here as well, the ordinary boiled beetroot or the roasted beetroot. Not sure how they eat it but I buy alot of it. I like the roasted one, peel it, slice it & put a bit of sugar over it then cover with vinegar. Lovely. Will try some of the others on here as well. The chutneys sound nice. Hilary.

Make the jelly up slightly short of the recommended liquid - use anything upto half vinegar. Beetroot in raspberry jelly is yummy! My gran used to serve hot boiled beetroot with a piquant sauce, absolutely delicious, but I never thought to ask her for the recipe.... OC

Pen, if you get inundated with beetroot from the garden it is a good way to use it up making that chutney, especially when the beetroot get bigger and you havent got the nice little ones for pickling whole or slicing. Gillie xx

Hi all If you have a pressure cooker, that is the best way to cook them! Only takes about 10 minutes for small ones and you keep all the goodness in them. Just can't wait for mine to be ready - you are lucky having yours ready now - I'm on the IOW which is meant to be warmer than most places, and ours are pathetic! Allie x

I use microwave and have done so for some years. If you wish to pickled beetroot to keep its colour - use hot vinegar to bottle with. Ann

Just done some today from my garden Boil as u would potaoes While still hot the skin just slips off Slice in vinigar Dont forget to add spoonful of sugar while still warm to take the tart off the vinigar Maureen PS just had bacon sarney and beet lovely!!!!!!!!!

Probably too late to add to your list, but I've cooked it several times a la Jamie Oliver Cut raw beetroot into cubes, for however many people you are serving Parcel up into separate servings in foil Before parcelling up, add a splash of olive oil, a splash of balsamic vinegar and sprinkling of garlic powder or similar Parcel up the foil and bake on abaking tray in elec oven 200 deg (gas mark 6?) for about one hour and a quarter or one hour and a half and serve with your sunday roast. Its lovely

And the answer to all those red hands....................Grow WHITE beetroot (we did last year) it tastes the same you cook it just the same ..............B.......U......T its kinda off putting to look at..... but no red juice at all...and we still have jars in the cupboard. Ah well! Norah

Well, our evening meal was a success. x Thanks to you all x I boiled up some of the beetroot for about an hour and a half (I managed not to boil it dry, yippeee) and left some to cool. Then sliced it.(unfortunatly I had run out of sandwich bags to protect my hands from the dye, so struggled with a piece of clingfilm, lol) I boiled up the baby potatos and added some butter. We had the tiny carrots roasted with some of the potatos, red onion and some beets. It all went very nicely with our quiche. The children actually preferred the beetroot warmed and sliced rather than roasted, which did surprise me. Thanks to all the lastest posters - Shirley Ann, Paul, Hilary, OC, Gillie, Allie and Ann. I love the idea of popping it into jelly, wish I had known that when the children were younger, shall pass that one onto my neighbour who has a 4 yr old that will NOT eat veg. Pen x **Thanks also to Mary, Jennifer and Norah

When cooked and sliced I dont add just vinegar (and sugar). I have half vinegar, half water (as well as sugar). My mum always did it like that and I am not over fond of vinegar. My OH has lots in our garden. I sometimes boil, peel, slice into containers, cover with water and freeze for future use. To use, thaw, add sugar and vinegar. (I use small honey pots as containers for freezing.)

Boil or pickle,making sure you wash first....