?Bitter beet greens !

Planted beets for salad greens but they are so bitter as baby greens, I can`t eat them. Anyone else have the same problem?

 

I have never noticed beet greens as bitter. Is the weather there hot? And for sure you don't have any arugala in the row, right? That stuff is pungent.

 

Its not hot enough for them to taste like quinine. When I said bitter I didn`t mean mildly bitter, and for some reason when I tried to chew one it made my tongue tingle and slightly numb. But they are just plain old beets. I have already pulled up all the arugula that came up with my Italian blend. And they were on the other side of the garden. I just finished pulling the beets and re-seeded the space.

 

Weird. I have no idea, Mart. that isn't usual for sure, though. too bad, too, since is such a waste of time, energy and space, too.

 

I know! I thought I was mistaken with the first bowl of salad, but after I had to trash the second bowl I figured they had to go. I have never had anything like that happen before.

 

What fertilizer did you use? I know too much chicken manure can cause greens to be bitter.

 

The same commercial fertilizer I use in the rest of the garden,,and very little of that. And its the same I use every year. Didn`t even use any horse manure this time. Wish I could remember what seed I used but I can`t. However I re-seeded with some I had from last year so we will see if they taste the same.

 

The weather is extremely hot and I get real nice beet here. No not bitter at all and I use only compost which I made myself, nothing else.

 

Hiya Mart. My grandmother used to cut the beet greens off and refrigerate them for a few days...4-5 I think before eating the,. She said that it made them taste better.
I was too young to pursue the topic, but I did recall it because of the refrigeration before eating. Even as a child I found that odd.

I recall that she also used to boil some sorts of leafy-greens and pour the water off a couple of times before adding bones with fat and lean meat on them. I have no idea what that was though.

Well I guess the refrigeration idea may be helpful, but it does not address your question. I have never had that,and cannot contribute anything useful in terms of an explanation.

Good luck with your second planting.

 

I don`t heave a clue either. Usually I just pick them as baby greens and add them to salad,, eat them cooked when they get larger. This was weird !