Whether you grow them in your garden or purchase them from the store, it is always good to have beets on hand for an impromptu bbq or to use in your favourite side dish. Here is how I freeze beets.
The way to do it is:
- Trim off all the excess leaf stems leaving 1/2 inch still on the beet. If you purchase beets and they don’t have this, just continue onto the next step.
- Scrub the beets well with water.
- Place the beets in a large saucepan and cover them with water.
- Over high heat, bring the water to the boil.
- Once boiling, cover the saucepan, reduce the heat and simmer the beets until they are tender. This will take about 20-30 minutes for small beets and roughly 45 minutes to 1 hour for large beets. They are ready when they can be pierced with a fork.
- Fill the kitchen sink or a large bowl with ice water and place the beets in until they are cool enough to handle.
- Slice of the ends of the beets and then peel by rubbing your hands on them or rubbing a butter knife against the beet. The skins should come off pretty easily.
- Slice or dice the beets according to your preference.
- Label the bags with the contents and the date you are doing this.
- They freeze well for up to one year.
- Note: I have found whole beets do not freeze well at all.
Beets are great to have on hand. They can be used as a side dish, just boil briefly and then season before serving. Defrost, toss in olive oil and bake for a lovely addition to your roast.
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