Beets are not something that North American kids often eat. French kids, on the other hand, love them. Beet salad is a regular item on French school lunch menus. And it’s a staple item at French markets and even in big box grocery stores, as adults love eating beet salad.
So how to get your kids to eat beets? Why not start by introducing them to the taste of beets in a fun way: Beet Popsicles.
Thoroughly wash 4 to 6 raw beets. Cut off the tops and tails and discard. Then place the beets in a relatively deep pot. Don’t bother peeling (the peels slide off with ease once boiled).
Cover the beets with water, put on a lid, and boil. (The lid on the deep pot prevents red beet splatters all over your stove-top). After 20 to 30 minutes, test them to see if they’re done by sliding a knife in: they should be the texture of a slightly undercooked potato.
Drain the beets and **save the cooking water**. Set beets aside for beet salad (that’s tomorrow’s recipe 🙂 ). Mix the ‘beet juice’ (which will be deep red) with equal parts apple juice. Freeze in your favorite home popsicle maker.
The most fun part of all: these beet popsicles will turn your kid’s tongues and lips bright pink (which they love). But they’ll also stain any and all clothing and fabric, so beware. (I make my kids eat them outside!).
Once they’re used to the taste and color of beets, you can move on to the next step: Beet Salad. More about this in tomorrow’s post.
Bon Appetit!
karenlebillon.com 
Great ideas, Kristine. And I had no idea about OxyClean for the beet stains! (In summer, I basically put the kids in their bathing suits to eat the beet popsicles!) 🙂
And you’re right about the beet greens: they work great in stir fries, or in soups (finely chopped). Yum!
Thanks for the tips! 🙂
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Two things:
1. OxyClean works wonders on beet stains
2. Don’t compost those beet green unless they’re really shabby! Cook ’em up like you would spinach, then chop them and stir in a dab of butter. They are SO good.
Can’t wait to try this recipe.
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