August
 
Early August is a good time to harvest the Beetroot when the bulbs have swelled.To cook first twist off the leaves and retain as it is a sweet tasting substitute for spinach and well worth cooking and full of vitamin A,C and Iron. The leaves look very attractive on the plate too with little red elements from the veins.(Don't cut off as the roots will bleed) The smell will be a little repulsive, but the gain will be worth the fact that the doors and windows need to be open to take out what the extractor cannot manage. This versatile root crop is very sweet if roasted in chunks like potato wedges, the flavour is concentrated that way.To preserve for storage cook with the skins on then peel (they will peel off very easily) and then slice and pickle .Allow to cool slice and serve with a cheesy white sauce. My neighbour kindly provided these beetroots and tells me that the microwave route is very acceptable if the Aga has been closed down for the Summer. Do experiment with this valuable root crop.