Beets represent the love of beauty and are sacred to Aphrodite. Being a root vegetable, they also harbor the energy of the earth and the underworld, that of rebirth. Nutritious, and able to be stored for a long time in a cool, dry place, beets are a survival food for long cold winters harboring in their bright red flesh the promise of the rebirth of springtime making it an excellent addition to Imbolc and Spring Equinox dishes. It's blood red color makes it a great addition to Samhain meals and its association with love and beauty makes it a great addition to the Beltane menu. Finally, its festive red color lends itself well to any harvest celebration as well as the Midwinter table. In short, beets are extremely versatile. Beets are ruled by Saturn.
Beet juice can be used to color eggs for your spring equinox rituals. It can also be used as dye or ink, especially for love magick.
Pickled beets are nice, but beets taste best when roasted. Scrub, but don't peel, a fresh beet and coat its skin with oil. Place it in the oven at 350 degrees Farenheight for an hour, or until its soft but not mushy (this will vary according to the size of the beet). Peel and slice and enjoy warm with sour cream or chill and use on a salad.
Don't worry about the technicolor poo you experience the next day, it is the normal result of eating beets. Beets are very protective of the colon.
When you prepare beets, be sure to save the greens. beet-greens are delicous and nutritious!
1 serving (1/2 cup) of beets contains:
37 calories, .2 g fat (4.3 mg Omega 3, 49.3 mg Omega 6) 1.4 g protein, 8.5 g carbs (1.7 g from fiber, 6.8 g from sugars), 65.4 mg sodium
Beets are a good source of folate and manganese
