Melis Campbell
Freezing beetroot is worth it right now, because the local winter vegetable is in season from September to March. If you want to enjoy it fresh in spring, you will benefit from the frost.
Freeze beets: raw or cooked?
The most important tip before you start: Fresh beets must be cooked before they can be frozen. If the beet is frozen raw, after thawing it will crumble into a pulpy slush that has nothing to do with crunchy winter vegetables.
Beets: This is how you recognize good beets
It is best to buy fresh, organic beetroot that contains as few pesticides as possible. Always use smaller beets as they taste more tender. The larger the nodules, the woodier they can be.
When buying, also pay attention to two things: the beetroot should feel as firm as possible and the skin should be undamaged.
Beetroot is so healthy
Beetroot is one of the healthiest domestic vegetables. Among other things, the vegetable has a blood-forming effect: 100 g of beetroot contain around 50 µg of folic acid and 0.8 mg of iron. It thus covers almost 10 percent of the recommended daily amount of iron and more than 30 percent of the recommended daily amount of folic acid. The secondary plant substances it contains, betaine, phenolic acids, flavonoids and saponins, inhibit inflammatory processes in the body, while the natural coloring agent betanine (also known as beet red) has antioxidant properties. It protects the body from free radicals that lead to cell damage.
Freeze cooked beetroot: Here’s how
Caution: Beetroot stains heavily during preparation. It is therefore best to wear household gloves when carrying out the following preparation steps:
- Remove the leaves and stalks of the beetroot, leaving the skin on
- Clean tubers with a vegetable brush
- Put the beets in a saucepan with cold water and bring to the boil
- After boiling, let the beets simmer for 30 – 60 minutes, depending on their size
- Take out as soon as the peel comes off easily
- Rinse the tubers with cold water and then peel them
- Dice or slice the beetroot and freeze in smaller portions
To thaw it is enough to take the beetroot out of the freezer. Re-boiling or heating is not necessary. Deep-frozen beets keep for around eight months.
Freeze beetroot: Two useful tips
Unfortunately, freezing beetroot leaves does not work because the leaves break when they are thawed. Nevertheless, you can use them. Since beetroot is botanically closely related to chard, the leaves can be used as a wonderful highlight in salads or as an ingredient in green smoothies.
Did spots form on your skin while preparing the beetroot? A little lemon juice will help gently rub away the stains. So you can freeze cooked beetroot without getting annoyed about annoying skin discoloration afterwards.
