Grow Your Own Magazine

When and how do you harvest beetroot leaves to eat? Can you only use the leaves when young,and harvest them and get no root or can you pull your beetroot at cricket ball(or larger)size and use the large leaves then I havent a clue whether you eat raw or cooked...and if cooked,how!I had a nibble on a small piece of raw large leaf to see what it tasted like and it was lovely and sweet,but about 10 minutes later my tongue and lips felt tingley I can eat beetroot ok,so I don't know why should react to the leaf Any advice greatfully recived

In Greece I have eaten beetroot leaves as a starter, they were cooked, but how I am not sure. I would suggest that you find a Greek cookery book and hope that the translation is readable!

Hello Lyndap, you can eat the beetroot leaves anyway you like them. Put them in salad mix when they are young and tender. When they are old they are a bit tougher, so you could steam them. Melt a little butter in a pot, add some chopped garlic if you like, add the wet leaves, put a lid on and steam over a low heat for a few minutes. Just like spinach. In view of what you say about your reaction to them you might be allergic, so might be better to leave them alone.

I'll give the steaming a try,next time I pull a beetroot Alice.I will only eat a little bit to see if any reaction first though!The leaf tasted so nice that I will be abit miffed if I cant eat them.

Cook them just like spinach. Same for radish tops.
I just made a radish top, beet greens and mushroom lasagne. Layering with tomato sauce and cheese mixed into a tub of Creme fraiche.
It was gorgeous.

pickledtink (what a fab name) - that sounds like a delicious lasagne...

Our beetroot crop isn't doing very well... lots of leaves but the roots are tiddly... How long do they take to mature??