"Self-sufficiency does not mean 'going back' to the acceptance of a lower standard of living. On the contrary, it is the striving for a higher standard of living, for food that is organically grown and good, for the good life in pleasant surroundings... and for the satisfaction that comes from doing difficult and intricate jobs well and successfully." John Seymour ~ Self Sufficiency 2003

Monday, 15 December 2014

"Oh me, oh my...

... do I have a pot big enough to cook this monster in?" was the question that popped into my head when I saw this.
RMan's size 9 shoe for size comparison
This "beetroot" was grown in a bed in my shadecloth veggie patch - in soil that had had a healthy dose of alpaca poo added 2 months ago.  And nothing but alpaca poo.
Trimmed of it's leaves, my hand is in the lower
left hand corner
It was "hiding" behind some red veined swiss chard leaves.  In fact, I started harvesting some leaves of what I thought was swiss chard to make my creamed spinach recipe when I happened to glance down and saw the beetroot "globe" peeking out of the soil beneath the leaves.
The giant beetroot inside a 10lt pot
There is no sign of the beetroot bolting, so once it is cooked the flesh inside should be good and tender.  And plentiful.

Ha!!  Two for the price of one :)  We enjoyed creamed spinach (a.k.a. swiss chard / beetroot) with our dinner on Friay night, and today (Saturday) I am cooking the beetroot.

 Update prior to posting:
Tender all the way through - eventually :)
It took a full hour to cook that baby but I started early enough and RMan and I enjoyed a helping with our dinner that night.
2.5 kgs of beetroot relish - enough for us
and to give as a gift
I still have plain beetroot slices in the fridge, and, yesterday, I made 2.5 kgs of beetroot relish.  RMan will enjoy that with his braai-ed boerewors (barbecue sausage) and ostrich sausage, and, we'll enjoy it with a roast chicken dinner too.  Not to mention putting a dollop on top of a cheese filled cracker...

 Yum.
Posted by Dani at 15:33:00
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14 comments:

  1. Sue15 December 2014 at 16:45

    Wow! Don't you just LOVE surprises like that?!!
    Congrats on a most impressive beet!

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    1. Dani16 December 2014 at 09:46

      Sue - I was actually horrified LOL How was I going to cook it. But.- all's well that ends well ;)

      Delete
  2. Vicki15 December 2014 at 17:59

    That beet would make a great advertisement for the advantages of alpaca poo fertilizer! Beats anything I've ever grown when I had a garden. But then I had only cow manure for fertilizer. Alpaca poo must be magic!

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    Replies
    1. Dani16 December 2014 at 09:48

      Vicki - It would make a good advertisment, wouldn't it :)

      Delete
  3. DFW15 December 2014 at 20:18

    That thing is huge! Is it sweet like a sugar beet?

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  4. Mum15 December 2014 at 20:59

    I tend to chop up large beetroot before cooking - I know it bleeds but it doesn't take as long to cook.
    xx

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    Replies
    1. Dani16 December 2014 at 09:52

      Mum - I thought of that, but didn't want to "dilute" any of it's healthy goodness. My pot was just big enough - thankfully :)

      Delete
  5. Harry Flashman15 December 2014 at 22:55

    I never heard of beet root. Nor Ostrich sausage. Quite an eclectic diet you folks have over there.

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    Replies
    1. Dani16 December 2014 at 09:55

      Harry - I think beetroot is what you in the US call beets. Ostrich sausage, kangaroo, beef, lamb, pork, chicken - ostrich is lower in cholesterol than beef, but is still minced meat with herbs and spices enclosed inside a skin :D

      Delete
  6. Quinn16 December 2014 at 13:20

    Since I've started growing winter squashes, I am not intimidated by large vegetables ;) But yes, I sometimes wonder exactly how to cook something when I don;t want to cut it up.
    I have a massive tag-sale crockpot that I recently used to cook a whole spaghetti squash wrapped in foil, which worked very nicely. That might have been my approach to your giant beetroot!

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    Replies
    1. Dani16 December 2014 at 13:22

      Quinn - If I'd discovered the beetroot in winter it would not have been such a problem - it would've been wrapped in foil and shoved in Rosie's oven. But, thankfully, the biggest pot I had, was j-u-s-t the right size ;)

      Delete
  7. Leigh17 December 2014 at 04:04

    Wow, that's a pretty fantastic beetroot! Good idea with the relish. :)

    ReplyDelete

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