Storing Beets

(These tips and recipes are from the newsletter I write for the New York City based CSA programs of Hawthorne Valley Farms)

Storing Beets:
To store beets, trim the leaves 2 inches from the root as soon as you get them home. The leaves will sap the moisture from the beet root.

Do not trim the tail. Store the leaves in a separate plastic bag and use within two days. The root bulbs should also be bagged and can be stored in the refrigerator crisper drawer 7 to 10 days.

Cooked or canned beets may be refrigerated up to one week.

Fresh cooked beets may also be frozen up to ten months. Be sure to peel before freezing in airtight containers or baggies, leaving no air in the container. They may be frozen whole or in cut pieces.