Young baby beetroot, harvested from the allotment or garden early in the season are becoming a popular vegetable these days. You can cook the young leaves as you would spinach and serve them alongside steamed, roast or baked beetroot.
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Whilst the leaves should be eaten within a day, the roots, if wrapped and stored in the vegetable box of the fridge, will keep for up to two weeks at least.
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Never be tempted to peel the beetroot before cooking as those bright red juices will be lost in the cooking process. Just brush them clean and leave the peeling process until they are cooked.
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Although the red variety is the most popular with gardeners and allotment holders, yellow and white varieties are often grown too.
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Beetroot is an ideal vegetable to cook wrapped in tinfoil on the barbecue, but don't use really large beetroots as they can take too long to cook.
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A reasonably small beetroot should take approximately 40 to 50 minutes over the hot coals and can then be served in its skin, having been chopped into quarters, and topped with crème fraiche mixed with chopped chives. You can test that it’s done by inserting a skewer into the centre.