Garden bounty 2008

 

mmmmm….I never thought I’d be gardening….but there is something about being able to walk out to your own garden and return with this:

Here is a shot of how my garden grows…..I’m loving the beets this year!

       

 

Do you know how good beets are for you?

Promote Optimal Health

The pigment that gives beets their rich, purple-crimson color-betacyanin-is also a powerful cancer-fighting agent. Beets’ potential effectiveness against colon cancer, in particular, has been demonstrated in several studies.

In one study, animals under the double stress of chemically induced colon cancer and high cholesterol were divided into two groups. One group received a diet high in beet fiber while the other group served as a control. The beet fiber-fed animals rose to the challenge by increasing their activity of two antioxidant enzymes in the liver, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione-S-transferase. The liver is the body’s primary detoxification organ where toxic substances are broken down and eliminated, a process that generates a lot of free radicals. Glutathione peroxidase and glutathione-S-transferase are the bodyguards for liver cells, protecting them from free radical attack, so they can continue to protect us.

In other animal studies, scientists have noted that animals fed beet fiber had an increase in their number of colonic CD8 cells, special immune cells responsible for detecting and eliminating abnormal cells. With the increased surveillance provided by these additional CD8 cells, the animals in one of the studies given beet fiber had fewer pre-cancerous changes.

In stomach cancer patients, when scientists compared the effects of fruit and vegetable juices on the formation of nitrosamines, cancer-causing compounds produced in the stomach from chemicals called nitrates, beet juice was found to be a potent inhibitor of the cell mutations caused by these compounds. Nitrates are commonly used as a chemical preservative in processed meats.

Protection Against Heart Disease

In the first study mentioned above, not only did protective antioxidant activity increase in the livers of beet fiber-fed animals, but also their total cholesterol dropped 30%, their triglycerides dropped 40% (elevated triglycerides, the form in which fats are transported in the blood, are a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease), and their HDL (beneficial cholesterol) level increased significantly.

But be warned of this:

Beeturia

If you start to see red when you increase your consumption of beets, don’t be alarmed. You’re just experiencing beeturia, or a red or pink color to your urine or stool. No need to panic; the condition is harmless.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=49

So far, we have pickled; juiced and made the best beet soup!

 

My beet soup recipe is soooooo easy!

Beet Soup 

(I’m not into measurements…too detailed and fussy for me-kind of like patterns and sewing..!)

cut up 3 or 4 beets into halves and boil them; in a second pot boil potatoes and salt.  You can boil the potatoes whole, or cut up, it doesn’t really matter.  Save the cooking water from the potatoes and the beets.

Once boiled, remove the skins and cut into smaller bite sized pieces.

Combine the beets, potatoes and cooking waters together, add some fresh cut dill and warm right through.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

The reason I boil the potatoes and beets separately is the potatoes will take on the color of the beets so by keeping them apart for as long as possible you can help to delay that.

You could add cooked peas into the mix….I’ve added the beet greens too once or twice and that was really good.  No matter what, the beets, potatoes and dill are what make the soup.  Great for vegetarians and my 8 year old requests it!!!  Some people like it with a dollop of sour cream.

mmm mmmm good and made by your own hands!