Bonza Beetroot
Beetroot is making a comeback. It makes a fantastic colourful addition to a meal whether it’s in a salad or a main dish – some people even use beetroot in cakes or desserts, so it’s very versatile. Gone are the days when you had to eat beetroot out of a jar with strong vinegar to preserve the vegetable. It’s both easy to grow and cook!
Grow beetroot
Beetroot can be really easy to grow and is very tasty when its cooked – dark pinky red juices and colouring make the beetroot stand out. Plant in rows approximately 12 inches (30cm) apart at spacings of 4 inches (10cm), keeping the ground weed free. Water moderately at fortnightly intervals or when the weather is particularly dry.
Nutrition
Beetroot is a superfood which means it’s packed full of nutrients like anti-oxidants and one of the recommended five a day vegetables, just three baby beetroot equal one of these servings. Beetroot contains betaine, a substance that relaxes the mind and is used to treat depression. It also contains tryptophan which contributes to a sense of well-being. It has no fat, hardly any calories and is a good source of fibre.
Origins
Beetroot evolved from wild seabeet, a native of coastlines from India to Britain and is the ancestor of all cultivated forms of beetroot today. The first recipes for using beetroot appeared in the third Century AD. The rounded root shape that we’re familiar with today wasn’t developed until the sixteenth century and became widely popular in Central and Eastern Europe a couple of hundred years later.
