We are determined to be a part of a campaign to stop beating up on the beet. The first thing we have to do is shed the horrible memories that stick with us from childhood of magenta-colored hard boiled eggs bobbing along in a jar of pickled beets.

When consumed fresh, beets are one of the most flavorful and interesting vegetables to eat and if pickled properly, at the height of their freshness, they are an appealing way to add vibrancy and zing to a dish.
Another reason beets are disliked in this country is for the earthy flavor they impart. This is due to a chemical called geosmin which is the same substance responsible for the aroma of fresh soil after the rain falls in the spring. Geosmin is a powerful property that people either love or hate but if they love it, there is no better place to find it than the beet.

Red-stained hands are another reason why the beet is disliked by chefs and home cooks, but at The Chef's Garden we have a solution for you. Our champagne ice beets leave no red trace behind but are as sweet, if not sweeter, than the red beet and are just as nutritionally dense. Not only are they rich in antioxidants, fiber, potassium, and antioxidants called betalains which are being studied for their cancer fighting abilities, they also contain betaine and tryptophan, two chemicals responsible for boosting the mood and inducing a feeling of well-being.

Our champagne ice beets are not something you'll find being cultivated by commercial growers. They're crooked and elongated and because they don't fit into the standardized notion of beet beauty with their knots and nobs, they're ignored by the general consumer who has learned to forgive the unconventional shape of heirloom tomatoes but has not yet opened their minds to the unusual twists and bends of the beet.

This means that while other beets such as the candy-stripe and golden have become recent chef darlings, the poor champagne beet is still sitting there on a shelf, barely eking out an existence. But we have not forgotten it at The Chef's Garden. We are extremely proud of growing this heirloom throwback with its creamy texture, pure, sweet flavor with hints of vanilla, and elegant color. We love its gnarly shape and how the liquid derived from it when it’s cooked is clear which keeps the surfaces clean and hands unstained.

The large seed companies are partly responsible for the near extinction of vegetables like the champagne ice beet. When they swept through our farms decades ago, they opted to grow only five percent of the vegetables in existence since these were the top-sellers and it was easy for them to leave the other 95% behind.  But we have not forgotten them and our champagne ice beet is a symbol of our commitment to nurturing neglected varietals like this one. We don't believe at The Chef's Garden that a vegetable has to be uniform to be perfect and the champagne ice beet is a symbol of this philosophy.

We hope everyone will stop beating up on the neglected beet. It has so much to offer from a flavor and nutritional perspective and since our champagne ice beets have a mellower flavor than their red beet counterparts, this is the gateway beet to usher in a new era of beet acceptance. It's time to stop beating up on the beet!