Detroit Golden Beet History

Detroit Golden is an improved variety of an ancient beet known as ‘Golden Beet’ and grown in the US before 1828. The plant produces good yields of large orange-yellow beets. The beets turn deep yellow when cooked, and do not bleed like red beets. Golden beets are globe shaped and remain mild even when they get older. Golden Detroit Beets are sweet and tender with round, orange roots and golden flesh. This variety will stay golden yellow when cooked and won’t bleed. Tops are deep, glossy green. Roots grow fast, but retain their sweet flavor even when quite large. Excellent for pickles.

Growing Golden Detroit Beet Seeds

Start your first round of beets in early spring, as soon as the soil is workable. Make successive plantings every 2 to 3 weeks until mid-summer. Winter crops are a definite possibility in Zone 9 and warmer. Plant beets in early to late fall for a winter harvest. Sow seeds ½-inch deep and 1 to 2 inches apart in rows that are about 1 foot apart. After sowing, cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil. Each wrinkled beet “seed” is actually a cluster of 2 to 4 seeds, so you will need to thin the young plants to 3 to 4 inches apart once the greens get to be about 4 inches tall.

Preserving And Storing Detroit Golden Beet

Freeze some of your excess to enjoy later in the year. Here’s how to do it well, and with minimum mess.

Beet Recipes

Roasting brings out their natural sweetness, which is enhanced by a drizzle honey and balsamic vinegar!  Roasting beets also give them the best texture

Golden Detroit Nutrition

Beets are loaded with vitamins and minerals and low in calories and fat. They also contain inorganic nitrates and pigments, both of which have a number of health benefits. They contain a high concentration of nitrates, which have a blood pressure-lowering effect. This may lead to a reduced risk of heart attacks, heart failure and stroke. Eating beets may enhance athletic performance by improving oxygen use and time to exhaustion. To maximize their effects, beets should be consumed 2–3 hours prior to training or competing. Beets may have a number of anti-inflammatory effects. However, further research in humans is required to confirm this theory.

Other Beet Varieties Worth Checking Out

 Detroit Dark Red: the standard for beets, originally developed in 1892 from “Early Blood Turnip Beet.” Excellent choice as a main crop canner, reliable yields of 3″ round, blood red, roots.

 Cylindra is a Uniquely shaped beet that resembles a carrot and produces uniform round slices for eating and processing. Dark red flesh, sweet and easy to peel. Beets originally from Denmark, introduced to the American gardeners around 1900.