Kinds of Beets

Ancient Beet Varieties

• Although the roots of Beta vulgaris"were mentioned in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, eating of beets was not recorded again until 14th Century England. Roman beets, a red beet were known to be used in northern Europe, during the 16th Century. Only Reds and Long Reds were known in England until the early 1800s. Beets were more popular in Europe at that time and crops in the United States were limited to only one variety of red. By 1828, four varieties of seed were available to gardeners in the United States.

Modern-Day Unusual Beets

• There are many varieties of garden beets, ranging in color from dark purple and many shades of red, to white. There are even beets with a distinctive interior pattern of alternating dark- and light-colored rings, such as di Chiogga, an Italian heirloom. Another unusual beet is the Golden beet, a buttery, yellow beet with a mild, sweet flavor. Beets are usually round, globe-shaped roots. Some ,such as Cylindra, are 8-inch long, cylindrical-shaped roots good for cooking and slicing in uniform pieces. Albina Vereduna is a white variety which is very sweet and stores well.

Popular Garden Beets

• Many deep red beets, such as Early Wonder, Ruby Queen and Crosby's Egyptian, all yield good crops of tender, sweet roots. Several hybrid varieties including Red Ace and Big Red are good, late season crops, holding up better to hot weather than most other beets. Beet tops are rich in vitamin A and the roots contain vitamin C. Beets are also high in soluble and insoluble fiber. All beet varieties can be cooked in many ways, one of which is roasting. This concentrates the sugar and makes them especially sweet.

Sugar Beets

• It has been less than 200 years that sugar beets have been developed as a major sugar source. Although Napoleon was responsible for the construction of sugar extraction plants for sugar beets, this industry was abandoned after his defeat at Waterloo. After that, sugar cane, from tropical areas became the main sugar source. Again, in the mid-1800s, a sugar beet industry developed in Germany, France and the United States. The sugar beet industry in the United States spreads from the Great Lakes area to the Pacific. Sugar beets and the other members of the Beta vulgaris species cross pollinate easily, therefore seed crops must not be planted within several miles of each other.