Beetroot varieties?

[VeggieNut]

I love beetroots and have always just grown the red varieties, boltardy etc.
This year I want to grow some different ones. I have seeds of
Golden Detroit
Yellow Cylindra
Chioggia
and Albino

Does anyone have any experience of these varieties? or can you recommend any others?

Are there any other Beetroot lovers out there!

[mrbadexample]

I grew the white beetroot from the Real Seed Co. last year. Grew well, good flavour, didn't make my hands purple when I cooked it. This year I've got the white one again, Wodan F1, Globe 2 and Pronto.

I'll be very interested to learn how you get on with yours.

Edit: Yours look good. Save some seed to swap next year, eh?

[Jelliebabe]

I grew Chioggia last year V pretty with its stripes! tasted great raw in salads! Good luck

[chris]

I'm growing:

Detroit Globe
Boltardy
Golden Globe
Chioggia
Albina Verda (or something)

One other too that I can't remember the name of. I love beetroot, especially roasted!

Looking forward to roasting them all together, and serving them up as a roasted beetroot salad!

[mrbadexample]

Having grown white ones, next year I might go for the reddest ones I can get. The Sanguina on the link I posted above look the part, unless anyone has a better suggestion?

[colser]

all my detriot globes were quick to go to seed

[zazen999]

Love Burpee's Golden - just a brilliant beetroot.

I also love Chioggia - and from real seeds I grow Sanguina - which is lovely and I still have a huge bag of saved seeds which are incredibly vibrant.

[VirginVegGrower]

Choggia I have grown two years running. Very reliable and good for pickling. I grow Boltardy too but they are my staples.

[womble]

I've always grown the white one from real seeds, I've had the bag of seeds for about 6 years now. This year I'm growing a golden one as well. Can't wait till it's ready.

[Florence Fennel]

I love Chioggia and it's always a success for me. Although I plant Boltardy every year, it doesn't do much, haven't yet figured out why.

[VeggieNut]

thanks for all the replies, it seems there are lots of beetroot fans out there.
The white one seems popular, does it really taste like beetroot?
Also, what's it like grated raw? I've always cooked mine.
Any tips on saving seeds? Do they come true or do you get a mix especially when growing lots of different ones?

[chris]

Burpees Golden - that's it, cheers zaz

Wondering how it'll differ from the Golden Globe jobby.

[mrbadexample]

The white one seems popular, does it really taste like beetroot?

Absolutely.

[chris]

thanks for all the replies, it seems there are lots of beetroot fans out there.
The white one seems popular, does it really taste like beetroot?
Also, what's it like grated raw? I've always cooked mine.
Any tips on saving seeds? Do they come true or do you get a mix especially when growing lots of different ones?

White tastes just the same aye! I pref them when they are small, golfball size - or there abouts.. they taste sweeter, but still that earthy lovely taste/crunch

I've grated it raw before on salads, it's nice yes - I do the same with turnip (prefer that mind, raw) - much more punchy.

Also, try making a beetroot cake (follow a carrot cake recipe, but use beetroot -- white one is good for this, as you don't get a pink stain everywhere).

Beetroot juice is nice too, if you have a juicer (albeit, again messy).

Beetroot + family do cross, I grew 8 golden globe for the seed saving circle here, which was great, overwintered fine - then my damn chickens got wind of them just throwing up new leaves - somehow knocked my isolation cage off the planter and ate the lot (roots included). Grr. Bear in mind though they flower in their second year, so you'll need to leave some in the ground overwinter (I left mine uncovered, they survived -16°C, the snow and evil gales.. You could cover them with straw I guess - I'll be doing that this year down at the lottie, at least so I know not to dig there ).

Anyway, check here for beetroot seed saving: How To Save Seed, also in the link above, they show you how they separate (or at least a method of doing it), the seeds (as above, Vegetable Seeds : Beetroot Seed).

[womble]

White ones are brilliant, no mess at all and all the taste.

But i grow some bolthardy just for using in salads, as they have that visual appeal