Beetroot leaves

[tootles]

I have just harvested three beetroots. It seems a waste to throw away the leaves when they look so lovely - so can I just wash the leaves and use them as salad??

[zanussi101]

yes you can, but watch out for the stalks as they can stain too!

[Alice]

Yes Tootles, the younger leaves are lovely in salad. And you can eat the young radish leaves too - or steam them.

[JILLY JACKSON]

Didnt i read somewhere that you can use beetroot as a dye?Is that the stalks you use? does anyone know how to do it??

[Hilary B]

Didnt i read somewhere that you can use beetroot as a dye?Is that the stalks you use? does anyone know how to do it??

I had a neighbour who was very much 'into' things like vegetable dyes. He told me that beetroot produces a yellow dye by the time you get it 'fixed' in the item to be dyed. I don't know whether that would be the stalks, or the roots.
I do know that it used to be possible to buy a food colourant based on beetroot, and when I used it to make a pink cake, it didn't work. Cooking seemed to kill the 'red'.

[di]

I tried it once without a fixative & it didn't work~yet spill the slightest bit down you & nothing seems to get it out!?

[JILLY JACKSON]

How true! Beetroot has caused lots of staining for me.shame it produces a yellow dye though when fixed.Still was worth asking.thanks

[marymary]

Dyeing with Beetroot

I make recycled paper. For years I've had no success with dyeing with beetroot. I always got a brown dye. BUT last weekend I boiled beetroot with stems attached and got a lovely looking dye. Instead of adding the dye to white paper pulp and then pulling a sheet of new paper, I soaked a sheet of paper made some time ago by me. Eureka! A lovely shade of beetroot. But why it worked this time, I know not.

[Birdie Wife]

Was there any salt in the water Mary? It's a fixative

[marymary]

I might have added a very small amount of salt as the beetroot were for eating.