On Beets

And adding them to hummus!

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My family chat had a stunning exchange a few nights ago in which my father’s hands (stained with beet juice) were compared to those of Dwight Schrute in this episode of The Office. I’m including the clip so you get all of the context here.

God, I love that show.

I digress! Beets are one of the many crops that my parents grow in their luxuriously large vegetable gardens and one of the crops I regret not planting in my less large but still luxurious plot this year. Though they’re tough to cook, they’re beautiful to get right and just delicious in so many contexts. As they’re the crop of the moment, the family group chat has been going off lately about how best to use them, and this tasty beet hummus is a recent obsession of mine that has been in demand (meaning that more than one person has asked me to send out the recipe, k?).

If you’ve ever dealt with beets in the kitchen, you’re familiar with the alarming stains they leave in their wake. You’re also familiar with the other ways in which they affect your body down the line and the heart-stopping moment when you frantically consider the last time you consumed them. IYKYK. My mom had the brilliant idea to use golden beets here to alleviate this stress, but I have not tried that yet. What can I say! I love to live on the edge of a panic attack. I have also not yet tried to make this with prepared beets, but I feel certain that would work just as well and be less work.

This dip is worth all the work, though. I’ve eaten it on toast, with crudités, and on my all-time favorite crackers from my friend Morgan at Unbothered Foods (go! buy! support!). It goes as well on rice cakes as it does on a spoon. It’s delicious! And pink, just like the rest of the Internet right now. I present to you: beet hummus.