Beet greens , the leaves that grow frombeet stem , are tasty andnutritious .

Sure , you cancompostthem , but why do that when you could eat this often wasted leafy veg that ’s packed with vitamin A and calcium ?

Using them in the kitchen is a great way to reduce food waste , and it ’s just as easy as ready with Swiss chard .

A close up top down picture of beet greens growing in the garden with bright green leaves and dark red stems and veins.

They can be steamed , stir - fry with a bit of butter and garlic , or added to soups and stews . Young leaves can make a tasty and colored addition to salads .

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I ’ll take you through the process of harvesting this leafy goodness , from the garden to the kitchen .

A vertical picture of a close up of beet greens with bright green leaves and purple stems. To the center and bottom of the frame is green and white text.

What You’ll Learn

Why Harvest Beet Greens

Have you ever notice that beetroot tops andSwiss chardleaves reckon an awful lot alike ?

That ’s because , amazingly enough , these two flora are really the same species , Beta vulgaris , which imply that there are a circumstances few than six degree of separation between these two garden veg – they are just two of severalB. vulgarissubspecies .

Both are members of theAmaranthaceaefamily – which now admit thegoosefoot family , Chenopodiaceae , – the principal dispute being that thechard varietiesare grow for their greens , andbeetsfor the root crop .

A vertical picture of a close up of beet greens with bright green leaves and purple stems. To the center and bottom of the frame is green and white text.

Depending on thevariety of beetyou are growing , there may be more or less foliage available for harvest home .

They also have like America in the kitchen , you could use the greens from the beet summit in the same recipes that call for Swiss chard .

get back to the stem of the issue , while you impatiently wait all summer long to bring in a hefty harvest home of your theme crop , now you may tide yourself over by nibbling on the foliage from these stem vegetables .

Freshly harvested beet roots and greens laying on the soil with plants in the background fading to soft focus in light sunshine.

Harvesting Beet Greens

While the roots are mature , the top can be harvested throughout the originate time of year , as well as when youbring in your mature root crop .

While Thinning

After you ’ve sown your seeds , the seedlings for these garden veggies will make out up very thickly , even if you do n’t sow heavily . That ’s because each seed inyour seeded player packetis actually a calyx or pod , containing several germ within it .

Young seedlings should always be thinned to givedeveloping rootsthe infinite they need to grow – and this is an splendid time to bug out glean the leafy upside .

To cut your seedling , gently pull the small plant from the soil , leave the large , strongest seedling in the ground .

A vertical picture of beets with their greens still attached, the roots are a deep purple and the foliage bright green with purple stems, set on a gray background.

extension service plantsman Richard Jauron and organizational progress ship’s officer Willy Klein at theIowa State University Extension and Outreachrecommend thinning seedlings when they are 3 - 4 inch marvellous , and leaving remain plants 3 - 4 inches aside .

As you slim your spot , take in the slim down seedlings in a bowl to carry into the kitchen when you ’re done .

If you ’re doing this in the spicy sun , you might try add some cold water to your sports stadium to keep your mini - harvest cool .

A close up of tiny beet seedlings with light green foliage and purple stems with soil around them fading to soft focus in the background.

you may use both the leafage from these thinned plants as well as the developing root for cookery .

From a Maturing Crop

you may use the peak from your plants throughout the growing season , between thinning and harvesting your root crop .

Just check that not to piece too many , since the plant require the vigour produced by its leaves to keep get and for the roots to maturate .

For the best taste , common beet greens should be cut fresh , when you are quick to use them .

A close up of two hands holding a small baby beet plant pulled from the ground with foliage still attached on a soft focus background.

Using a needlelike tongue , write out one or or two of the outer leaves from each plant , slicing through the stem an inch or two above the soil level .

Always check that that the inner leaves are leave behind integral .

As more leave-taking grow , you could stay on to harvest the greens in this room .

A row of beet plants growing in dark, rich soil in the garden. The foliage is light green with purple stems and veins.

When harvest time come in fall , this is the meter for a leafy bumper harvest .

Along with your antecedent crop , the leaves from these mature plants can also be used in the kitchen . These older leaves may be a bit tougher than the cutter shoots you picked in the first place in the season .

Before you harvest your root craw , reduce the tops off before you start pulling them up will keep the farewell cleaner .

A close up of bright green beet tops growing in the garden with bright green foliage and dark red stems in bright sunshine.

sort out through the greens and furcate out any that are dried out or damaged , observe the good looking leaves for use in the kitchen .

Meet Your Greens

thin food waste and enjoy delicious meals made with this often neglect source of fresh green veg .

It is very easy to interchange one leafy vegetable for another , so you’re able to use beet leaves in most recipes that call for spinach , kale , and most decidedly Swiss chard , its close relative .

quick to grow moreleafy green vegetablesin your garden ? Check out these other article next :

Two hands from the right of the frame cutting the tops off freshly harvested beet roots with scissors. In the background is the rest of the harvest.

© require the Experts , LLC . ALL right hand RESERVED.See our TOSfor more detail . Originally issue January 31st , 2020 . Last update August 16th , 2023 . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock . With additional piece of writing and editing by Clare Groom and Allison Sidhu .

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Kristina Hicks - Hamblin