Beets are a firm, round root vegetable with a fairly high sugar content and edible dark green leaves. Native to the Mediterranean region, beets are known to have been used by the Romans. Only the tops were eaten; the roots were used for medicinal purposes. Today beets are commercially grown in 31 states throughout the United States for both their roots and their tops.

• Cooked beets are often served with just a little butter.
• Shred or slice small cooked beets to use in salads.
• Harvard Beets, a dish of beets in a sweet-and-sour sauce, and pickled beets are two traditional ways of serving this vegetable.
• Beets are the main ingredient in Red Flannel Hash, a New England specialty made by frying chopped cooked beets, onions, potatoes and bacon.
• Borscht is a traditional Russian and Polish soup made from fresh beets.

The most common table beet is red with purple-red skin and deep red flesh. Golden-yellow beets, white beets and the Chiogga beet, a new variety with alternating concentric rings of red and white flesh, are sometimes available at farmers' markets. The sugar beet, rarely eaten, is processed for sugar.

Fresh beets are available all year but are most plentiful from June through October. Canned whole, sliced and diced beets and pickled beets are readily available.

Buy beets that are firm with smooth skins and tops attached. They should have a deep, rich purple-red color. Choose small to medium beets as they are usually sweeter and more tender. Beet tops should be fresh looking and dark green, not wilted or slimy. The tops are frequently bunched and sold separately as beet greens.

1 pound trimmed beets = 2 cups chopped. 1 (16-ounce) can beets = 2 cups chopped.

To store fresh beets, trim off the leaves, leaving an inch or two of stalk above the bulb. Do not trim the long bottom root. Reserve tops and store them separately if intended for cooking. Store unwashed beets in a plastic bag up to one week in the refrigerator. Place washed and dried beet greens in a plastic bag and store refrigerated up to three days.

Gently wash beets to remove dirt and sand, being careful not to pierce the skin. Leave roots, 1- to 2-inch stems and skin intact to minimize bleeding during cooking. Place beets in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the beets or until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain and cool beets. Under cold running water, trim off stems and roots and slip off skins. Slice or cut beets. Cook beet greens as you would spinach.