Kids can grow beets during the winter in California and harvest them in the late spring. During the winter, kids can begin to harvest the beet tops by cutting them with scissors and preparing them like spinach in salads, soups, and casseroles. Beets are an annual cool season crop that contain 5 to 10 percent sugar, rich in vitamin C, folic acid, and potassium.
Kids can pickle their beet harvest to preserve excess beets and to add zing to their salads. Kids can store pickled beets in the refrigerator or use a canning kit to store them on the shelf. Kids can wash and slice into even sized pieces 3 organic medium beets, 2 organic carrots, 2 organic garlic cloves, and ¼ cup organic red onion to make up 4 cups of veggies. Put the veggies in a steamer and steam 7 – 10 minutes, until tender. Reserve the steam water.
Rinse in hot water 1 pint sized canning jar and 2 cup sized jars. Drain jars upside down on a clean kitchen towel 1 minute. Put 1 sprig of fresh rosemary in each jar. Ladle the steamed veggies into the jars, leaving ½ inch of space on top.
In a small pan, kids can bring to a boil ¾ cup organic apple cider vinegar, ¾ cup of beet steaming water, 3 tbsp organic sugar, ¾ tsp sea salt, ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper, and ⅛ tsp curry powder. Pour the hot pickling mix over the veggies in the jars to ½ inch from rim and cover the jars. Wipe off rims of filled jars, top with lids, and screw on bands. Kids can use a canner to seal the jars or put the jars in the refrigerator. Label and date the jars. Allow the jars to cool and the flavor to develop 24 hours before tasting. Opened jars of pickled beets will last up to 3 months in the refrigerator.
Cooking Magic for Kids 