Now you can eat beets!

It took me about a year to figure out how to cook beets.  Not to mention it took the first, oh, 25 years of my life to even taste a beet (and fall in love with them).

Here's my tried and true procedure for cooking beets.  One thing to keep in mind, if you use the dark purple varieties, don't bother using any other color, because the juice will just dye the rest of them purple.  Speaking of dying, the purple beet juice stains pretty easily, so be careful.

Buy one bunch of beets (3-4) of medium size.

Cut off the bushy greens about an inch from the beet. (You can saute and eat the greens if they look fresh).  Don't bother washing the beets, they are usually dirty.

In a large pot, using a steamer basket, bring water to a boil.  

Steam the beets whole for about 30-45 minutes.  Be sure the water doesn't boil out.  The beets are done when a fork inserts easily.  The skin will also look like it's started to separate from the beet, and looks a little dry.

Take the beets out and let them cool a few minutes.  Once cool enough to handle, cut the tops and bottoms off the beets.  Use a spoon to peel the skin off the beets.  This should be easy.  If not, they may not be cooked enough.  Cut the beets into cubes (about a half inch by half inch), and put in a bowl.

Toss the beets with about a tablespoon of vinegar and sprinkle with salt.  The vinegar will keep the beets tasting fresh and keep their color.

I like eating my beets by themselves at room temperature or slightly warm.  I will also put them in salads.  If anyone has any other suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

Now you can eat beets!