Beets are one of my favorite vegetables. As a kid, my mom would serve beets at least once a week because my dad really enjoyed them.
When I look back in time when I was growing up I realize just how much has changed in the way families go about serving and consuming a meal.
In my home, dinner time was always conducted as a family and the meal that my mom cooked was what was on the menu, no variations.
Sitting down at the dinner table as a family seems to be a thing of the past.
Eating what was put on your plate, every morsel seems to be a thing of the past.
Sharing quality time during the meal seems to be a thing of the past.
Putting together a healthy meal based on nutritional value seems to be a thing of the past.
I understand that families are busier than ever these days and eating properly seems to have taken a big hit. Fast food, junk food, catering to an individual's taste, eating on the go with no specific time to gather as a family, and wasting food are common practices these days.
The old saying, you are what you eat, tells the story of obesity, diabetes, poor concentration, behavioral problems, eating disorders, heart disease, anemia, weak immune system, gout, ulcers, acne, and the list goes on.
Big pharmaceutical companies love the way we fuel our bodies, all the way to the bank.
Healthy eating habits should be a major concern of all parents right from the get-go.
Many foods take time to acquire a taste for and just because a child may turn his nose up to a particular dish, is no reason to strike it from the menu.
When I first started dating @farm-mom my parents wanted to meet her and suggested that I invite her over for dinner. I gave her the lowdown on what to expect during dinner and some of the GOLDEN RULES, with the most important one being, whatever you put on your plate, make sure you finish.
She was as nervous as a squirrel crossing the road while meeting the family for the first time.
When we first arrived, the house was a ball of activity, and as we entered she was greeted with warmth and friendliness.
When my mother called us to dinner, it was clear that the table, which was usually set for 7 had increased by 1. As we all sat down, my dad who was a real character, waved to the very nervous young lady, indicating that she was to sit right next to him.
As was standard practice, a blessing was said before the meal.
You filled your plate in an orderly fashion. My dad would start the procession of plates, helping himself first and passing the plate to my mom, who sat to his left.
There was always plenty to go around, and you had better take a little of everything, if you didn't, my dad would notice and he'd give you a big old helping of what you were trying to avoid.
That evening's meal included peas, a vegetable I knew my girlfriend couldn't stand and wouldn't be putting any of those things on her plate. I also knew my dad would not give her a double helping for not taking any, as she was a guest.
Just as the little green nuggets were passed to me, my dinner date turned towards my dad to reply to something he had asked her.
What's a guy supposed to do when he wants to impress his new girlfriend, GIVE HER A HEAPING LADEL OF A VEGEBALE SHE DESPISES, knowing that she wouldn't break the most important Golden Rule, whatever you put on your plate, make sure you finish.
Now that I look back at that evening, I'm glad she didn't dump me for that stunt.
To this day, we still chuckle about that event, and guess what, one of Robin's favorite veggies is now PEAS.
This year we were able to process 32 pounds of one of the most nutritious veggies out there.
Beets are great just as a side dish, or if you like things pickled the healthy benefits increase.
Include them in a salad of mixed greens and some goat cheese topped with homemade raspberry sauce and I promise you'll become a fan of this glorious root crop.
Many splendid hours were spent together while hobbitizing in the garden, enjoying a lunch filled with the veggies of our labor.
Eat your way to a healthy life.
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You two have such beautiful memories. Beautiful stories. A beautiful life. I wonder.....do your children's parents take after their grandfather in his methods of welcoming new guests :)
Thanks for such a wonderful comment. We do have so many fond memories and by eating healthy I hope to live a few more decades so that we can bank some more.
Gags are commonplace around here, every day is like April Fools Day.
There is no better medicine than a good laugh.
Eat your veggies or you get no pudding rings true to everything you said. Vegetables came out of the garden or from local farm (yes preparing peas we had to whistle so some made it to the table).
Now Robin may have not enjoyed peas, what you did was pretty wicked... 🤣 My dad always cooked them with a sprig of mint, sorry Robin also delicious along with freshly boiled beets.
Same rule eat whatever is on your plate!
Back in the day money was pretty tight in our household. Wasting food was not an option and the kitchen was only opened three times a day. Junk food was nowhere to be found and you ate what was put in front of you.
My mom hated the question, "what's for dinner"
Her standard reply was "garbage"
The helping of peas I gave her would have choked a horse, but she ate every last one of them.
It was a wicked stunt and I was surprised she took it so well.
We lived on a quarter acres (in three bedroom home x1 bathroom), not large! My dad made light work of maintaining vegetables, fruits, rose garden and special beds of flowers, an area of lawn for four of us to play, after chores had been done, including a small chicken run.
Enough for the table, bottled for winter months, jams for all year consumption, all grew from a well maintained compost heap that was another chore involving us all in soil preparation annually.
Dad cooked, yes after a six day work week another something I learned from him. No extra money, very seldom any treats, but eat everything on your plate after all you helped grow it.
Only problems he ran into was mom refused to eat a chicken raised in the back garden, dad was farm raised whereas mom was more a city dweller, it showed.
Mom worked a five day week as well and sewed everything for the home including all our clothing.
People now turn up their nose at cooked beetroot or raw turnip both I relish knowing just how awesome they are!
Enjoy those beets they look awesome! Stop pulling stunts on Robin, they do come back and kick you in the pants every so often.
It seems as though a simple lifestyle just doesn't work for many people these days.
Your dad sure did pack in a lot of stuff in a quarter of an acre.
Chores, I don't think too many kids even know what that word means.
Growing up, we were very close to my father's parents who would come and stay with us for a month at a time.
To this day I can hear my grandmother tell me " do your chores first Robert and then play."
We now call that Grandma's Rule and when I have something that needs to get done, I find it hard not to take care of business first before sitting down to relax. It's funny how some things stick with you.
It sounds like your parents were as busy as mine while growing up, but they still found the time to cook our meals, go figure.
Most foods that people say don't taste good are good for you while just the opposite is true with things they find tasty (sugar-loaded foods) are not good for your health.
You mention turnips, another veggie that I really enjoy, especially when mixed with some spuds.
Being a joker is in my genes, there's no way of stopping myself.
Parents were busy, children helped with no such thing as piggy bank savings for doing the chores either, you had a roof over your head, a place to sleep and food every day, that was your reward.
Children are given way too much in the modern day, sadly most do not know where their food comes from, how it is grown, losing a lot of knowledge, perhaps with time this will all change.
Pulling stunts on siblings was par for the course, doing it to a girlfriend.... well she is still with you 😂 obviously saw through you antics a long time ago!
🤣
I really like beets. I don't eat them too often because I'm lazy to clean and cook them. But I definitely will eat them even alone, without any dressing or special preparation, just boiled and cut in chunks hehe
They do take some time to prepare and they are not always available.
As we were processing them for storage I must have eaten a few pounds over several days. 😁
oh my god you were about to have a beet overdose!! hahaha
It's funny you say that, last night we had a beet salad with assorted greens, goat cheese, and some homemade raspberry sauce. That salad coupled with the rest of the meal put me into a food coma.😁
hahaha that sounds really tasty, it's a shame I can't get raspberry and goat cheese here! maybe I'll try to look for substitutes!
(be careful with eating so many beets, you may turn red!! hahaha)
Same way I eat them, boiled, still warm cut into chunks with salt. (Every week)
Beets are a good source of Iron and I have a low level, so they are essential.
Marian says that maybe you guys must start to put together some recipe booklets that we can hand out here to the poor communities. They like fast foods and processed stuff and you can imagine what it does to them.
Your crop looks very good and I still have the habit to eat everything on my plate.
A cool trick on Robin mate.
Blessings to you guys.
!BEER for you and !LUV for Robin.
<><
@thebigsweed, you've been given LUV from @papilloncharity.
Check the LUV in your H-E wallet. (2/10)
When I am on the road I will hit up a fast food joint every now and again, and every time I do there is hell to pay.
Bloating, indigestion, and passing gas, follow almost before the last mouthful.
I guess when you're not born with a silver spoon in your mouth, wasting anything just doesn't sit right.
I like the idea of a recipe booklet, and we do have a few recipes written down for certain things, but @farm-mom cooks by taste. I don't know how many times I've enjoyed a wonderful meal that she has prepared and then asked if she recorded the ingredients. Her standard reply is "I cook by taste."
Robin is a good sport when it comes to my pranks, and it's a good thing because the jokes have gone on for many years.
Thanks for the beer my friend, always appreciated.
Have a splendid day!
View or trade
BEER.Hey @thebigsweed, here is a little bit of
BEERfrom @papilloncharity for you. Enjoy it!Learn how to earn FREE BEER each day by staking your
BEER.Yep, fast food is junk food my friend.
I am glad that I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth, just as you must be, as we can cope better when the chips are down.
Yes I see the problem and we will have to think about how we are going to get this "cook by taste" down in written form.
I also freak Marian a few times almost every day, but I think the teasing is in our blood.
I go ice cold when I see women here that's been beaten up by their partners and we have one of the worst GBV (Gender Based Violence) records in the world.
Papillon also supports the Rape Crisis Center and the Police Crime Victim Support unit here and some cases will make you want to puke.
A man that lifts his hand to a woman should lose the hand in my view.
Thank you also for your support to our work my friend.
I wish that I can give you a case of !BEER
Not only are we able to cope better when financial matters take a turn for the worst, I think we appreciate the things we have because we earned them and have not just be handed them.
In my book, a man that lifts his hands is not a man but nothing more than a bully that just so happens to be sporting the male genitalia.
Most abusive behavior is the result of being brought up in a household where the same type of behavior was exhibited.
@papilloncharity does so much for so many people in need. I'm not sure how so many people can turn a blind eye to others that are in need.
There are many charitable organizations that address different issues and supporting any reputable organization should come easy.
Giving what you can, even if it's only a few bucks can make such a difference.
God bless
So true that everything sprouts from our childhoods my friend, but thankfully there are always exeptions.
My gran was an exeptional christian and very kind and she was my rock.
I wouldn't be where I am today if it was not for her.
It is always a matter of choice as many grow up in violent and alcoholic homes, but some turn out to be upstanding citizens. The rest I don't even want to talk about.
It is what one gives that one receives and so many don't understand this principle.
Sorry for the short reply but our power will be switched off at 9pm. Maybe not for us and it could be meant for other areas of the country, so I will go out at 9pm and if nothing happens until 9:30, then I will switch on again.
!BEER for you and !PIZZA for Robin.
Teaching special needs children for 30 years, kids with behavioral disorders, the one common thread was that they all came from a broken home.
Many of these children yearned for someone to care enough about them to set boundaries and establish clear-cut consequences, with no negotiating.
Most times the father was not in the picture, but when a grandmother was in the picture, usually living with them, they were much more available for learning and over time would conduct themselves in a socially acceptable manner.
With the mom busier than ever trying to keep things afloat, having a grandparent in the house gave me someone to team up with. I found this scenario was when the child would make the most progress because what was being addressed in school could be reinforced at home.
At times that electricity thing has got to be a real problem.
I was just mentioning to @nikv a situation my mom dealt with for years during WWII, concerning electricity.
As always, thanks for the beer and pizza.
Behavioural disorders plagued me for a long time my friend. My gran died when I was 13 years old and that left a great chip on my shoulder. She had a stroke and she fell down on the kitchen floor. I was the only one in the house and she was a large woman, so I tried my utmost to pick her up, but I ended up in tears. A short skinny boy that only strethed to great heights in in senior school.
So, I ran to my moms work a few kilometers away and she called the ambulance on the way home. We both sat crying in the bus on the way home.
The reason why I am sharing this with you is that most of those disfunctional kids that you had worked with had similar, or even worse experiences in their lives and yes, it can certainly take a person off the tracks.
It is not easy to grow up without a father, ask me as I know.
Many of these children yearned for someone to care enough about them to set boundaries and establish clear-cut consequences, with no negotiating.
We never had anything like this and yes all that they need is acceptance, understanding and a kind heart to lead them. I am sure that you are such a kind of person.
Nobody cared about me and my two sisters and after my gran was gone, we were free to raise ourselves, each in our own ways. Would I say that we learned from our mistakes? No, instead we repeated them, until much later in life.
My mom died at 51 years of age in a car accident and my youngest sister commited suicide at the age of 43 years of age. So it is ony my oldest sister and myself left and thankfully we both came to our senses later in life. Maybe now you can understand why I try my utmost to be kind to everyone and the Lord tests me often when people attack me verbally.
Regarding the forced power cut-offs, yes it is debilitating when suddenly the PC dies in the middle of a sentence when one is typing.
@nikv is a great lady and I presume that she has informed you about the situation here. Looting and corruption will also never fix anything and in the process the country and especially the poor suffers.
Interesting that your mom also had to deal with it.
Blessings and a !BEER for you and a !PIZZA fo Robin.
I am a sucker for a good story, and I was at the dinner table with you guys, I was a bit scared to make any sudden move or fart.
Really touching, the way you described that evening @thebigsweed, such a big teddy bear haha, I also have to admit that your beets are way bigger than mine, but I am not surprised, look at this professional looking raised bed!
Now, that would be a dinner to remember if you and your family were seated at the dinner table with us. I'm not sure how much food we would be able to consume as conversation may not allow for eating. One thing I was taught at a young age is that you don't talk with food in your mouth. 😁
The joke with me putting peas on Robin's plate happened when we first started dating. At the time she was only 16 and despite the passing of half of a century, I can still recall that moment in time like it was yesterday.
You sir, have a much better memory than me.
The long-term memory is good to go, while the short-term memory likes to keep me in shape.
I'll need one thing or another and have to go from the house to the shop, or from the garden to the house, or from anywhere to somewhere else, and by the time I get there, presto, what I needed has vanished from my head.
Then I'll have to retrace my steps and when I get back to where I've started and take a look around, presto, I'll remember what it was that I needed and return to my original destination.
As I said, my short-term memory keeps me in shape.😁
Yup, those were all the rules at my house growing up too. I love beets and have put 32 pints into the freezer for next year. Tom took the extras for his family.
It's always a good feeling to be able to give someone something that you have nurtured along and you know that it is void of all of the bullshit that is used when grown commercially.
I love the fact that other replies have mirrored the rules by which we treated food.
Lucky you with all those beets. I love them too.
Now that I live in a town that eats the quintessential American diet, I am SHOCKED at how unhealthy the food is. It's nearly impossible to buy anything organic, there are no farmer's markets nearby until next spring, and I have yet to find a single restaurant that knows what real food is. Idk how anyone survives this type of food. The body is miraculous indeed.
The body is remarkable and can handle much abuse, but everyone's objective when eating should not be to survive but thrive.
This time of year, Farmer's Markets are out of the picture and stockpiling produce allows us to continue to consume organic veggies throughout the year. We are very fortunate to be able to have the space to grow our own food.
I had no idea it would be so difficult to find good food here. There must be somewhere to do so. I'll head over to a nearby college town to see what I can find. I may have to travel to get edible food. So far, it's just pathetic here. Even the restaurants that I have been told sell real food are whipping up some shocking crap for sale.
Food devoid of pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, growth hormones, and genetically engineered crops is hard to come by.
I know that Whole Foods sells products that are grown in a more organic way.
I don't know if there's one of them around you, but if there is, you may want to look into that option. Their prices are higher, but that seems to be the way with anything grown organically.
I just found a tiny store in a nearby town with some stuff I use, such as soaps, meats, breads and fish. I have a lead on raw milk. Organic veggies, or biodynamic or plain old home grown, are hard to get to this part of the earth apparently. Good thing I can grow some of my own.
Looks like I will have to make a monthly trip pretty far to get to a whole foods, which is a store I have avoided in the past. Certified Organic doesn't mean anything anyway. Any place that is selling their own, whatever their practices, is probably just as good as anything I could buy in whole foods. I drove by a couple of those yesterday.
It seems as though the only answer may be to also raise some chickens, beef cows, and pigs alongside the fenced-in garden on the back 40. 😁
hahahaha! I actually do have a chicken coop, but there is nowhere to put it. And I am not sharing my back 40 with chickens and their droppings!
Amazing rich color! Gotta be healthy for ya! Great photos.
That amazing rich color found its way to my hands and it took several days before my hands returned to their original color.
Yesterday mom and I started gathering walnuts.
The squirrels totally whipped out the bottom plantation, but the top plantation was chock full of walnuts. We must have harvested 100 pounds in less than 2 hours.
I'll be removing the husk today, but not before getting a good pair of rubber gloves. When your hands get stained with the juices from the husk of the walnuts, the stain takes several days and multiple washings to finally be gone.
Great time at the wedding, everything couldn't have been more perfect.
Here is a picture of the walnuts that I forgot to put in the first response.
Holy awesome!
Oh, what a beautiful post that reminds us how growing a garden and eating produce can be about families, and stories, and love! Loved this story so much - and I'm glad she grew to love peas. I bet you think of that story every time to sit and eat them.
I've been harvesting beetroot too - I love to eat the leaves as it feels like I've hit the jackpot of free food - everyone else throws them away.
There's nothing like sitting down to share a meal with family. It's why I like to cook with lots of little dishes on the table that force people to pass the plates, rather than dish it all up in one serve.
Thanks for joining in - this brought me great joy!
You are so right, whenever peas are included in a meal, smiles ensue.
Sitting down to a meal as a family feeds much more than just one's appetite, it fuels the mind with conversation and the heart with warmth.
To this day, when we get around the dinner table with our family we start out with family hands, where everyone at the table joins hands before digging in. Being the 1st to call out family hands is a big deal.
The rules are that family hands can't be called until everyone is seated.
Several weeks ago we had some of the family visiting for several days, and our three-year-old granddaughter shocked us when she put out her arms and said family hands. What a precious moment that was.
The beat tops make a great drink when we put them through our Juice Man juicer.
A combination of beet tops, carrots, and apples, is a great mix and you can almost feel your body saying thank you.
Thanks for such a wonderful comment, have a splendid day my friend!
Cool... I like this fresh garden food 😋😋😋👌👌👌
There is so much satisfaction in growing your own food, you know exactly what's in it.
thanks for stopping by.,
Very true :)
Beets, beets and more beets! What a beautiful (or beet-i-full) sight! Such gorgeous specimens. I'm sure they taste as good as they look.
Love the family history there, as well. I was never a pea person at that age either, but now I would gobble up a few ladles of the fresh ones at one sitting!
As much as we eat colorful, healthy meals, I must admit with just myself and my boyfriend in the house, we don't always get to sit down together and enjoy what I've cooked. Darn crazy schedule of mine. Someday it will be nice to give up the evening clients and get back to the nightly meals together. But at least I know we're both eating our veggies, even if it's not at the same time!
A lovely haul! Thanks for sharing with us!
The beet crop this year was fantastic. Along with all of the beets we have in the freezer, for the first time we made 1/2 doven quart mason jars of pickled beets, boy are they delicious.
Your schedule may not allow the both of you to sit down together at mealtime, and with some of the dishes I've seen you whip up, I'd make a point of eating first to ensure I got my fair share.😁
Yes, we also got to eat what was put on our plates, with very few exceptions
So many of the other people that replied to this post stated the same thing and it's good to know that was standard practice back in the day.
Many of parents were born during WW2 and their parents had endured a lot of other things besides, so they didn't see the point of waste and indulgence, I guess
Times were hard during that period. My mom told a story about how the people in her neighborhood would share electricity. When one neighbor had their electricity turned off a neighbor whose electricity was still on would help you run extension cords from their house to yours. She said that this was a common practice for years.
Talk about community, I'm not too sure that this would be the case today.
That happens a lot in my country today but I get your point
Beautiful pictures if a wonderful harvest and profound lessons of appreciation. I sure would have got a beeting.
What many of us take for granted, full bellies at night is not the way some people hit the sack. World hunger should not be an issue.
What a great harvest of beets, I love them with salt, oil or with a little mayonnaise. Alone or in a salad they are delicious. I love the taste of beets and these of yours look wonderful. I congratulate you @thebigsweed on your harvest.
So many people despise the taste of this veggie and that surprises me.
I do love mayo and will have to give that a try.
Thanks for stopping by.
Why isn't my account autovoting your content? Oh great, if I don't know.... we're screwed!
It's late. I saw you stop by just now and haven't seen you for awhile. Came by your page to learn my account isn't autovoting you. First a pandemic and now this!
Good Morning Bob, @thebigsweed, as a child there were many veggies I didn't like, but I wasn't forced nor expected to eat them, if I had truly "given them a chance"
This included staples like Green Beans, all types of stewed/cooked greens... and Beets.
As an adult, I've grown to like most of them, (still don't like Collard greens, and I will not eat cooked Spinach or Kale if I can possibly get out of it).
I grew to love pickled Beets (from the can, but I usually put them in vinegar, however they don't really last long enough to change from the can or jar)
I DID try "Roasting" some fresh Beets a couple of years ago; the taste was good enough, but it was a lot of mess and trouble and magenta stained hands.
Sorry I didn't see this post earlier, but I caught it in time
↑Upvoted↑ and ←Reblogged→
Good morning to you sir.
I agree with you on the collard greens, I put them in the same category as coconuts, never could acquire a taste for either.
You talk about stained hands. I've been harvesting walnuts the past several days, removing the husks. I wore a pair of rubber gloves, but the glove sprung a leak, and here is what happened.
Now that shit doesn't come off.
Have a wonderful day!
ha ha ha... have you tried bleach? Maybe some Borax (it is good for many things other than laundry)
You know they used to make a brown dye for fabric out of those husk?
I think it is still used today as a dye.
At this point, I'll give anything a try.
thanks for the info.
At my local kroger, it is about $4 and some change
