I have made pickled beets before, but this is the first time I have tried to make them with Chioggia beets, the Italian variety. I cooked them in water with roots, skin and top intact. I was so disappointed when I went to cut them. They had lost all of their color and varied from pale pink to beige. Why? Other beets that I have cooked, even sliced, never lost their color like this. Now I am going to have colorless pickled beets.

Anyone have any suggestions for these Chioggias and how to preserve their color even through cooking?

-- R. (thor610@yahoo.com), August 07, 2001

Answers

Unfortunately, this happens when you cook Chioggias, but usually the seed catalogs do not mention this when they're selling the seed, and only show a raw one cut in half to display the lovely coloring.

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), August 07, 2001.

That has happened to me with regular beets but I think I had canned them too long in the pressure canner. Some years I have it and some years I just don't get it together...know what I mean ?? They tasted fine though. Mine are overdue to be pulled from the garden this weekend. Never heard of Chioggias...what makes them different..better or what from regular beets ??

-- Helena Di Maio (windyacs@ptdprolog.net), August 08, 2001.

Chioggias are an heirloom Italian variety of beet which shows pretty candy stripes when cut. Well, they lost all their color when cooked so the candy stripes were not all that pretty.

-- R. (thor610@yahoo.com), August 08, 2001.

they are gorgeous raw! I grew them last year but never again. Gimme Detroits!

-- Alison in N.S. (aproteau@istar.ca), August 13, 2001.