What To Do With Beets After Harvesting?

Throughout this article we’ll discuss the different stages of beet growth, how to tell when they are ready to be harvested, and how to store them for later use. Harvesting beets is easy once you know when to look for them. Gardeners should determine which varieties of beet are best suited for their garden, as well as the average temperature and time planted.

Table of Contents

Depending on the variety, beets can take anywhere from 50 to 75 days to reach maturity and should be harvested at the “ping pong stage” when they are about two inches in diameter. To harvest your beet crop, simply pull them from the ground and store them in a cool place. Beets can also be stored in a freezer for up to a year if necessary. Questions about harvesting your beet crop or storing it for later use can all be answered by consulting gardening experts or researching online resources.

Growing beets can be quite a challenge, especially in warm weather, but it is possible to grow large beets with the right techniques and knowledge. Beets are a cool season plant that thrives in temperatures between 50-85°F and can tolerate some frost. To help your plants thrive and reach maturity, keep your eye on the weather forecast, as heat can cause problems for plants. It is also essential to keep a close eye on the growth of your beets throughout the season, as they can mature quickly depending on the time of year.

Cutting Beets After Harvesting

After harvesting the beets, you can either cut the beets root off or pull it out of the ground. If you opt to cut, use a sharp knife and make sure to leave some of the green tops on top of the beets. Alternatively, you can choose to only remove the greens and leave just the beetroot still in the ground. After harvesting your beets, it is important to water them regularly so that their roots don’t dry out. When cutting off tops from harvested beets, make sure to leave about two inches of stem on each one. The harvested beets can then be stored in a cool place or used immediately. You can also use both the beetroot and its greens for cooking purposes.

Washing Beets After Harvesting

After harvesting, the first step is to wash your beets, which removes any dirt or debris. Once you have cleaned them, you can now place your beets in a cool and dry location. Next, use a digging fork to loosen the soil around the beets and then pull them out of the ground. Make sure to remove any excess soil from the roots of the beets, as this can damage their greens. Then, place them in a dry shady location so they can dry completely before storing them away in a cool and dry place.

Refrigerating Beets After Harvesting

Beets can be stored comfotably in the refrigerator anywhere up to two weeks in a consealed, airtight container. If you are going to use your frozen beets, it is best to thaw them first before cooking them. To cook beets, you need to add an extra minute of cooking time and cut the beets into small pieces before boiling or steaming them. After cooking, store cooked beets in the refrigerator for up to five days or in a cool basement cellar, if available.

For the longest shelf life, store harvested beets in a freezer or basement cellar. A garage root cellar, fridge freezer, or refrigerator cool garage are all great options for storing beets. Beets can keep in a freezer for up to six months. Another method is to can them, which will give them an even longer shelf life of up to nine months.

Planting Beet Seeds After Harvesting

After harvesting, you can plant your beet seeds to keep successive plantings of the root vegetable. The last beet greens on the plants can be used as edible greens, while the roots can be stored in a root cellar with sawdust, which will help them stay fresh for up to four weeks. Additionally, they will stay fresh for months if they are stored in cool temperatures. If you are planting new beets, it takes approximately 70 days for them to reach full maturity and harvest time. When planting your new beets, make sure to use compost-rich soil, as this will help nourish the plants as the season progresses.

When Should Beets Be Harvested?

Beets are a cool weather vegetable, and they thrive in temperatures around 60 degrees or lower. As such, this root vegetable is best planted in the late spring and early summer months, as it has a short growing season. Many gardeners find that planting beets in the spring and fall seasons are best as the temperatures will help to withstand the beets for longer. Beets can be one of the first crops to come into harvest in your vegetable garden, especially during cooler months.

Beets are a cool season vegetable and quite a frost hardy, making them an excellent choice for early harvest. When planting beets, you should direct sow into worked soil. The roots of the beets will develop quickly, so once the target date passes, you should put the beets in the ground. Your average last frost date is when you can begin to keep beets in your soil for up to several weeks until they reach the desired stage of harvest. Once harvested, these beets can be stored in a cool area until ready to use.

How Long Can Beets Be Refrigerated After Harvesting

Bunched beets can last for up to two weeks in the refrigerator. It is vital to keep them in a separate container from other high-water vegetables, such as radishes and squash, as this will help them maintain their shelf life. Beets are root vegetables that have a much longer shelf life than their tops or greens, which will begin to decay rapidly. To extend the shelf life of the beets, the leaves should be cut off and stored separately in better condition. Contrast topped beets can last up to three months in ideal conditions.

Preserving Your Beets After Harvesting

Preserving your bountiful harvest is the best way to ensure that you can enjoy the flavor of freshly harvested small roots for a longer period of time. If you’re buying beets, look for ones that have reached six inches in diameter and color rich skin. To start beets from seed stalks, leaving them in the ground until they reach beet size before harvesting them. You can find these at most farmer’s market or grocery store that sells fresh produce. Look for beets with bright green leaves and stems still attached when purchasing your beets. The best way to harvest beets is to pull the entire plant out of the ground and then separate the beet from its leaves. This will preserve both the beet and its leaves for later use.

Do Uncooked Beets Need To Be Refrigerated?

Beets are a root vegetable that can be stored in the vegetable crisper drawer of a refrigerator. Proper storage conditions should be observed when keeping uncooked beets in the fridge. Beets can remain fresh for several days to several weeks, depending on how they were kept before being placed in the refrigerator. If you have recently harvested them from your backyard, it is best to wrap them up in a plastic bag and place them into the crisper drawer of your fridge within two weeks of harvesting for optimal freshness and quality.

Uncooked beets can last up to five days in the fridge if stored properly. For longer storage, you can also pickle them or place them in a sealed canning jar with an airtight lid. Pickled or canned beets will keep for several months, while they will keep for several years if stored in the freezer. Cooked beets should also be refrigerated and placed in a sealed container; however, they should not last more than three or four days before needing to be discarded. All containers used should block out air and moisture so that your food stays fresh for as long as possible.

Longer Lasting Beets After Harvesting

When storing uncooked beets, it is essential to wrap the beet in a kitchen towel and place it in an airtight, sealed container or plastic storage bag. If you want them to last longer, put them in the fridge crisper drawer. You can also store your beets in the freezer if necessary. If you do choose to freeze your beets, make sure they are wrapped well with plastic and placed into an airtight plastic bag or container. It is also important to remember that beet greens should not be stored with their respective root vegetables as they will wilt quickly at room temperature and should instead be stored separately in perforated plastic bags or containers for up to two weeks. To keep your uncooked beets fresh for longer, store them in a cool place such as the fridge or freezer, depending on how quickly you plan on using them.

Fresh beets should be stored with a damp paper towel in a permanent storage container. If you have a large number of fresh beets, you can store them in plastic bags for a short period of time before putting them in the refrigerator. In winter, when the garden has stopped producing fresh beets, store them in the freezer as proof against spoilage. When stored correctly, uncooked beets can last up to six months. For small amounts of uncooked beets, it is best to keep them in sealed plastic bags and put them into containers that are easy to wash and reuse. Keeping your uncooked beets refrigerated will extend their life so you can enjoy them even longer!

Do Uncooked Beets Need To Be Refrigerated

Uncooked beets do not need to be refrigerated if you plan to eat them within three weeks, but if you have no room in your refrigerator, there are other storage solutions. A great option is to store them in an entire bed of moist sand or peat moss inside a plastic storage box or containers. You can also store uncooked beets with other vegetables like avocados as long as they are stored separately and the environment is kept cool. Just make sure that the container has some airflow, otherwise your vegetables may spoil before the allotted three weeks!

How To Store Fresh Beets?

Storing fresh beets is a simple process that can help you keep them for several months. The best method is to keep them in the basement or cellar, as this is typically the coolest and darkest place in your home. Alternatively, you can store them in the fridge or freezer, depending on how long you’d like to keep them. If you plan on eating them within a few days, leaving them on the counter should be fine. However, if they will not be consumed within a short period of time, it’s best to put them into one of these storage methods.

Store Fresh Beets In a Refrigerator

The fridge is the best way to store fresh beets for longer periods of time. Place them in a crisper drawer in a plastic storage bag and make sure that it is tightly sealed. Fresh beets can last up to three weeks in the refrigerator, while they can stay good for up to four months if stored properly.

When storing raw beets, the first step is to wash them thoroughly and make sure to keep their stems on. Cut the stems down to 2 inches before placing them into plastic bags. This will help prevent color bleed and also keep their shelf life longer. If you’re only storing a small number of beets for a short period of time, it’s best to store them as whole beets rather than slicing them up. When stored in this way, fresh beets can be kept up to two weeks in the refrigerator. However, if you decide to cut your fresh beets into slices for more immediate use, make sure that you consume the slices within one week of cutting them up.

Wrap Fresh Beets In Clean Paper Towel

The ideal way to store cut beets is by wrapping them in a clean paper towel and then placing them inside a dry paper towel. This should be done before you place it inside the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. If you want to freeze the cut up beets, make sure that you put them in freezer bags with a single layer and leave an inch of headspace at the top. This will keep them safe from freezer burn while they are stored in a humid environment. If freezing, it is best to use either slices or cubes of beet so that they can thaw quickly when needed. To reheat, simply cook on low heat for the best results!

Fresh beets are a great vegetable that can add sweetness and tenderness to many dishes. Beets are root vegetables, so it’s best to store them in a similar cool space like a root cellar or basement. If you don’t have access to either of these, the produce drawer in your refrigerator will also work. Smaller baby beets tend to last longer than larger ones, so if possible, try to buy those for storage purposes.

Remove Beet Greens

When you bring them in from your garden, separate the beet greens from the bulbous root. The greens are highly perishable and should be cooked or composted within a day or two of bringing them home.