The Best Ways To Store Beets and How They Last
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Knowing how to properly store beets will help you cut down on your food waste and help you eat fresh foods long after the season ends. This post outlines all the best practices to store beets for longer periods of time.
During the summer, we always have a huge bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables, and we like to try to store and preserve them to enjoy during the winter season as much as possible! With proper storage methods, your fresh beets can last for over two months or even longer if you can or freeze them. Beets are nutritious root vegetables and are a great source of nutrients such as fiber, folate, iron, and vitamin C. Beets are vibrant in color and have a sweet and earthy flavor. They can be eaten raw and have a crunchy texture, or they can be cooked and will have a soft and buttery texture.
It’s important to note that food does lose nutrients over time, and the longer beets are stored, the quality of your beets will slightly decline. However, we prefer to eat our own produce, grown without chemicals than buy beets during a season when we cannot grow them. The loss of nutritional value of a food harvested from our farm is still greater than the original amount of nutrients from products at the grocery store.
The best quality will always be from locally grown organic produce! Even the organic foods at the store are not as fresh as produce you would get from a farm, CSA, or farmers market. The fresher the fruit or vegetable is, the higher the nutrients are! If you are local to Iowa, you can purchase beets from us here at Pleasant Grove Homestead with the link below!
Beet varieties
Did you know there are different varieties of beets? Red beets are the type of beets that normally come to mind, but there are also golden beets, which are yellow in color and have a milder flavor. This type of beet won’t bleed or stain like red beets do. Other varieties of beets include Chioggia beets, also known as Candy Cane beets because they have pink and white stripes inside, Baby beets which are much smaller in size, and Sugar Beets. A big portion of white sugar production actually comes from sugar beets!
How to store fresh beets
We find the best way to store fresh beets is in a sealed gallon plastic bag in the crisper drawer in the fridge. This method will make the beets last over two months, allowing our family to enjoy fresh beets into the winter without canning or freezing! We use twist tie or Ziploc bags and make sure the beets are dry when they go into the bag because the excess moisture can cause the beets to go bad faster. The beet greens do not store as long and may cause the beets themselves to spoil so we always remove them before storing.
How to store beet greens
The best way to store beet greens is in gallon ziplock bag to keep them fresh. The greens typically don’t last longer than a week so we like to use them up quicker than the beet root.
How long cooked beets last
Batch cooking beets is a great idea. We prefer to use our instant pot, so we cook an instant pot full, peel them all, and then enjoy them as a side (hot or cold) for about 5 days before we cook another batch. To store, we add them in an airtight container in the fridge and we follow the, “when in doubt throw it out” rule about leftovers, but the beets are always eaten within 5 days. We prefer to cook them plain in the instant pot so we can add them into a variety of dishes or add olive oil and feta to them. By keeping them plain, we rarely get tired of beets because they are always eaten a new way.
How to freeze beets
Freezing beets is an easy way to store them! You can freeze whole beets or cut them into halves or chunks, whichever you prefer and is easier for you! Simply freeze after cooking and removing the skin. Add to heavy-duty freezer bags or a freezer-safe container and store for up to three months.
How to can beets
take our canning course or purchase one of the books (link to canning books webpage)
Canned beets are a great way to extend their shelf life even longer! To learn how to can beets, take our canning course, Yes, You Can! To learn everything you need to know about this preservation method and how to can safely and preserve fresh and healthy foods for your family. Or, you can check out this list of our favorite canning books for the best beet recipes for canning.
Beets can be canned as pickled beets, or plain. If you are planning to keep them plain, they will need to be pressure canned. Pickled beets can be water bathed.
Can you store beets at room temperature?
Storing the beets in the fridge will help them have a longer shelf life and prolong the longevity of beets. However, they are root vegetables and can be stored similarly at room temperature. Store the beets in a cool, dark, and dry place. A dark cellar or basement is a great option!
Signs of spoilage
Signs that your beets are spoiled or no longer good to eat are if they are soft or shriveled. If you notice mold or an off smell it is time to toss them.