How to Store Beets in a Root Cellar

Beets. You either love them, or you hate them. If you're a member of the beet fan club, you'll be happy to know that beets are a wonderful item to store in a root cellar. Beets are easy to grow, easy to harvest, have a long storage life and are wonderfully flavorful. Plus, they add a great dash of color to your winter menu. Read on to learn more.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Harvest the beets in your garden before you harvest any carrots or potatoes. They are slightly more susceptible to frost damage than carrots or potatoes so should be processed for root cellar storage first.
2. Use a pitchfork to gently and carefully loosen the soil around the rows of beets.
3. Remove the beet greens approximately 1 inch from the top of the beet. Don't cut too close to the top of the beet or the beet will bleed, which will accelerate spoilage.
4. Leave the pointed beet tip intact.
5. Spread newspaper on a table and lay the beets out to cure for a few days. Remove large clumps of dirt by gently brushing them off by hand or with a cloth rag.
6. Pack the cured beets in layers of moist sand, saw dust or peat moss in a cardboard box or wooden crate.
7. Store the boxes or crates in the root cellar. The ideal storage temperature is 32 degrees Fahrenheit at 90-95% humidity.

Tips & Warnings

• If need to leave in ground during periods when there is a risk of frost, cover your rows with a layer of straw at least 3 inches thick, and your beets should be fine. Just make sure all the beet tops that protrude from the soil are well covered.
• Beet greens are edible and make a wonderful addition to salads. As your beets grow, trim the larger leaves while allowing the medium and small leaves to remain in tact.
• Under ideal conditions, beets will store for four to five months.
• Be sure to keep the sand, saw dust or peat moss moist by misting it with water.

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