Beautiful Beets

These gorgeous heirloom Bull's Blood Beets are adding lots of color to the garden (and our salads).  I just love how the sunlight makes them almost glow!  They were a late addition to my garden plans for this year, after I received the packet of seeds as a free gift with my order from Baker's Creek Heirloom Seeds.

I must admit that I'm only lukewarm when it comes to beets.  Growing up, I liked them well enough to eat the required serving of cooked beets that often accompanied dinner in the summertime, but that's about it. I don't think I've ever purchased them in my adult life, so maybe this year's crop will provide me the opportunity to develop a better taste for them.

As I've learned in some of my other kitchen garden endeavors, preparation is everything, so I've got a nice little list of beet recipes waiting for the opportunity.   I will be trying to stretch myself beyond the plain and simple cooked beet with new ideas for salads, soups, and maybe even some baked beet chips.  I'm completely intrigued about the idea of using them as an alternative to artificial food coloring in baked goods.  An extra-dark, dark chocolate cake? Red velvet cupcakes? This could be dangerous.