Easy Tasty Beets

Tonight I pulled up a few red beets from the garden. I cooked them differently than I have in the past - my favorite is pickled beets but I didn't have enough to do that. I cut off the leaves and scrubbed the beets but didn't peel. Then I shredded them as if they were zucchini (left lots of red on my fingers). I fried them in a bit of butter using the cast iron skillet. After they were almost crispy, I squirted a bit of Real Lemon on them and then added a sprinkle of salt. A minute or two more and they were ready to eat.

The result was delicious, though I was about the only one who thought so. I guess I'm the only one in the family to really love beets. Rosie the iguana enjoys the greens so I gave her a few fresh ones and then blanched and froze the rest for winter use.

Here are a few beet facts:

• Beets are packed with vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, and C. They are also good antioxidants - they especially protect against colon and stomach cancers.
• The leaves of beets are more nutritious than the roots - the iron content in the greens are high and compare to that of spinach.
• Beet greens taste similar to chard and are rich in chlorophyll.
  
• Beet juice helps to prevent varicose veins.
• Beet roots and their greens help cleanse and build blood.

There are a whole lot of reasons to eat beets - this is only a bit of what they have to offer.