Mary Ann and the love of beetroot

my favourite veggie in the garden: I guess beetroot is my favourite vegetable because it is so versatile and bright blush purpley red! It can be savoury or sweet (just like me), all parts can be used – try stir frying the leaves, crunchy or silky smooth. And it turns your fingers (and bench tops) pink. [more]

Beetroot & ginger cake

BEETROOT AND GINGER CAKE – Inspired by Ottolenghi by Mary Ann Grant 1/2 cup (100g) finely chopped candied or crystalized ginger 1 2/3 cups (200g) flour 3/4 cup (150g) sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 large red beets, peeled and grated finely grated zest of one orange 2/3 [more]

Beetroot chocolate cake

Ingredients 250g beetroot 200g fine dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa solids) 4 tbsp hot espresso 200g butter 135g plain flour a heaped tsp baking powder 3 tbsp good-quality cocoa powder 5 eggs 190g golden caster sugar crème fraîche and poppy seeds, to serve Method Lightly butter a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin and line the [more]

Amaranth family

Botanical name: Amaranthaceae Features of the amaranths: Amaranths are a family of plants that grow widespread from the tropics to the cool temperate regions. Most plants in this family are fairly hardy herbs or small shrubs that tolerate salty soil and drought conditions quite well. They are branching, broad-leaved plants with often egg shaped or [more]

Beetroot

Botanical name: Beta vulgaris Description: Beetroots are actually the same plant as the silverbeet and the rainbow chard. Farmers selectively bred cultivars with big, tender swollen taproots, which is the actual vegetable. They grow about 40 cm high. The leaves are egg-shaped or oblong and show colourful veins. While most cultivars have red beets, there [more]

Kohlrabi beetroot salad

Garden member Sylvia made this delicious looking salad using veggies almost exclusively from the weekend’s harvest. She made it with matchstick kohlrabi and fennel mixed with plain yoghurt (plus a little ricotta) and dill arranged on endives, rocket and lettuce leaves, with chunks of roasted beetroot and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. Yum! [more]