cbayer primitive questions beets, makes borscht

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/115722611

Oh my.

cbayer (118,185 posts)    Wed Feb 27, 2013, 06:44 PM

Question about beets.

I noticed that there was some white fungus-looking stuff on the beets I just got in my produce package.
 
It was confined to the tops where the leaves come out, but was definitely on the root part.
 
I just cut off the tops in preparation for cooking them, and half of them had brown areas in the center. Some of this had gone halfway down the root.
 
I cut these parts out, but am disappointed.

Anyone know what this is? I looked on the internet but couldn't find it.

Major Nikon (8,729 posts)    Wed Feb 27, 2013, 07:47 PM

1. Sounds like powdery mildew

Which is a fungus. It's normally found on the back side of the leaves first, but can migrate to the front side of the leaves and the stalks. If unchecked it can start to affect the roots and beats themselves which can account for the brown areas.

cbayer (118,185 posts)    Wed Feb 27, 2013, 07:50 PM

2. So, was I right to dig out and discard the brown parts inside the beet?

Are the parts I saved going to be ok to eat?

They are roasting right now and smell delicious.

Major Nikon (8,729 posts)    Wed Feb 27, 2013, 07:55 PM

3. That's what I would probably do

Unless I felt like going back to the market and exchanging them. I hate to waste food, so I cut the bad parts out and use produce like that fairly often. It's unlikely that anything pathogenic to humans is going to infect beats and even if it did you almost certainly wouldn't be able to detect it anyway.

cbayer (118,185 posts)    Wed Feb 27, 2013, 08:05 PM

4. Thanks so much.

I order my produce and get a once weekly shipment, so there is no taking it back. But I will complain and probably get something extra from them next time.
 
Anyway, going to make borscht, so if you don't hear from me again, it was the beets!

[GOBUCKS]

half of them had brown areas in the center. Some of this had gone halfway down the root.
 
I cut these parts out, but am disappointed.

Anyone know what this is?

Yes. It sounds like the same disease Pam Dawson has.

[Duke Nukum]

cbayer (118,185 posts)    Wed Feb 27, 2013, 07:50 PM

2. So, was I right to dig out and discard the brown parts inside the beet?

Are the parts I saved going to be ok to eat?

They are roasting right now and smell delicious.

Cbayer, Cbayer, Cbayer, as I'm sure your fellow DUmmie, Taverner could tell you, the fungus has the greatest chance of getting you high. Cut away the Beet and only eat the fungus.

[BattleHymn]

Major Nikon (8,729 posts)    Wed Feb 27, 2013, 07:55 PM

3. That's what I would probably do

Unless I felt like going back to the market and exchanging them. I hate to waste food, so I cut the bad parts out and use produce like that fairly often. It's unlikely that anything pathogenic to humans is going to infect beats and even if it did you almost certainly wouldn't be able to detect it anyway.

Translation:  I buy 'organic' foods.

[JakeStyle]

Translation:  I buy 'organic' foods.

Or: "I dumpster dive for chow."

[Dori]

I've ordered a pizza for delivery, but never diseased vegetables.  Is that normal?

[Karin]

I've never heard of that.  I've heard of wine-of-the-month clubs and the like, but produce?  It sounds like a bad deal anyway, if they send you bad stuff and you have no recourse. 

Anyway, I hate beets.  They deserve mildew. 

[franksolich]

I've never heard of that.  I've heard of wine-of-the-month clubs and the like, but produce?  It sounds like a bad deal anyway, if they send you bad stuff and you have no recourse.

It's more of this primitive showing-offness, for which the cooking and baking primitives, ever since the hippywife Mrs. Alfred Packer, are famous.

They live in a boat, and because there's not much room, all they can use for a refrigerator is a one-quart thermos jug.  If it were any bigger, there wouldn't be any room.

Also, when asea, it's not as if they can hop into the car and dash to the grocery store.

And it's a way of saying they have money other primitives don't, because I'm sure mail-order produce aren't your ordinary 39-cents-a-pound strawberries or 10#-for-49 cents bags of potatoes.

And there's the element of heroic martyrdom in it: "See, since we're trying to save the environment by living on a boat, we're compelled to nobly make sacrifices, such as ordering fresh produce by mail."

The cbayer primitive's proving an easier literary muse than Mrs. Alfred Packer ever did, but out of my respect for her, I can't be as raucously ribald with her, as I had been with the hippywife primitive.

[JohnnyReb]

I haz duh cure for dat.....stay outta the farmers market DUmpster.