With its dark red to purple or violet stems and green leaves, beet microgreens are wonderful to look at once they sprouted and are ready for harvest. But don’t let them just decorate your window garden (they do add lively colors sitting there with other plants) because they are an excellent food as well! Get to know beet microgreens more and see how you can include beet microgreens in your daily diet.
Classification Information:
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Amaranthaceae
Subfamily: Betoideae
Tribe: Beteae
Genus: Beta
Type species: Beta vulgaris
Beet Microgreen Trivia
- Beets are considered an aphrodisiac during the ancient Roman era.
- Apparently, Albert Einstein does not like beets. If there were beet microgreens during his time, could he have changed his mind?
- Beet is juiced by 19th century Victorian women so that they have something to use to dye their hair red.
- Beets were among the crops grown in the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Beet Microgreen Buying Guide
Beet microgreens are sold in groceries, supermarkets, farmers markets, and other specialty stores. Ask around for local growers so that you can source your beet microgreens locally. When buying beet microgreens, buy just enough that you can eat until the next grocery day, since beet microgreens do not keep for longer than a week even if stored in the refrigerator.
If this is the first time you are buying beet microgreens, try to buy in small quantities first so that you can taste it; should you not like it, you don’t have a lot of beet microgreens to dispose of and you are not being wasteful (you can ask your neighbors if they want it, so someone else can eat it).
When buying, make sure to inspect it thoroughly. See if the leaves and stems are of good quality and appear fresh. It is ok if one or two are wilted, but if most of the bunch are wilted, soggy, and do not appear fresh, do not buy it.
If you are buying seeds so that you can grow your own beet microgreens, this tells you how many seeds there are in a pack (approximation).
- 1-ounce pack contains approximately 8,000 seeds
- 4-ounce pack contains approximately 32,000 seeds
- 1-pound pack or bag contains approximately 128,000 seeds
- 5-pound pack or bag contains approximately 640,000 seeds
- 25-pound pack or bag contains approximately 3,200,000 seeds
You can buy seeds in the store or order them online.
Beet Microgreen Production & Farming in Texas
Microgreens are grown in different kinds of mediums like soil, coconut coir, burlap, hemp, mats, biostrate, vermiculite, and rockwool, among others. Growers prefer soil as a growing medium for beet microgreens. This crop grows better in soil compared to other growing mediums.
Some microgreen seeds require pre-soaking, while others don’t. For beet microgreens, make sure the seeds are pre-soaked for a minimum of 8 hours and no longer than 12 hours. Make sure to use cold water for the soaking. Sprinkle the seeds on the growing tray that has a layer of soil and cover the tray. Blackout should be 6 days minimum, 8 days maximum, and germination should happen in 3 to 4 days during the blackout. It will take 10 to 12 days before microgreen beets are big enough for harvest. It will show its trademark dark red stems and green leaves.
There are farmers and growers in Texas who grow beet microgreens. TexSelect Farms, located in Aledo, Texas, has Bulls Blood Beet Microgreens. Bella Verdi Farms’ Rainbow Mix and Mediterranean Mix both include Bulls Blood Beet Greens. This farm is located in Dripping Springs, Texas. Like TexSelect Farms, Bella Verdi Farms also has Bulls Blood Beets. Native Roots Farm, located in Austin, Texas, has Detroit Dark Red Beets microgreens. There are also initiatives like the Big Tex Urban Farms that help promote the business as well as the attitude of the public towards microgreens. If you are dining out, there are Texas restaurants that have beet microgreens on the menu. Bulls Blood beet and pea tendrils are the two most common microgreens that chefs and bartenders love to work with when cooking.
Pesticides:
There are no known or documented threats to beet microgreens that require the use of pesticides. This is possibly because it takes just several days to plant, grow, and harvest that there is no chance for the onset of pests.
Geography:
Farmers in the ancient Middle East have grown and cultivated beets; so did ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. Today, beet production is a major industry in many countries like Russia, France, the US, and Germany. It is not surprising to find the beet microgreens-growing industry in these countries robust and thriving too. Because beet microgreens are easy to grow and the factors that influence the growth of beet microgreens (light, water, temperature) can be easily controlled compared to growing beets on the farm, beet microgreens can be grown anywhere in the world.
Packaging:
Beet microgreens are sold in transparent plastic clamshell packaging. Sometimes, you can find beet microgreens sold in Styrofoam or a plastic tray covered with plastic wrap.
Enjoying Beet Microgreens
Just like any microgreens, beet microgreens can be eaten raw. These are crunchy, delicious, and flavorful. Just make sure it is washed and cleaned thoroughly. When you eat beet microgreens, you will notice a flavor similar to root beets and spinach.
It is not common to have an allergic reaction to beets after ingesting them; nonetheless, the possibility exists. Therefore, if this is your first time eating beet microgreens, do not overindulge. Make sure to observe your condition and if you experience symptoms of an allergic reaction, go to the emergency room and have a doctor check you out.
Storage:
If the beet microgreens you bought came in clamshell packaging, use it to store the beet microgreens in the ref. If, for some reason, you need to transfer the beet microgreens to a different container, choose a plastic container with a lid. The least ideal storage is glass because it has the most condensation when in the refrigerator and the condensation contributes to the degradation of the quality of the beet microgreens inside. Avoid putting them near the vent of the refrigerator because if the temperature fluctuates, it will affect the condition of the beet microgreens. Put it on the lower shelf where the temperature is more stable.
Cooking:
You can add beet microgreens to your warm beet salad. You can sprinkle some raw beet microgreens on your avocado toast. Combine it with grapefruit and it makes for a great salad combo, or mix it with kale. If you are looking for a nice twist to your pizza, sprinkle it with raw beet microgreens. Before using beet microgreens for cooking, make sure to wash them thoroughly.
Nutritional Benefits:
Beets contain carbohydrates, protein, folate, and manganese. A diet that includes beets (including beet microgreens) can help in reducing blood pressure.
