Hello! Last winter I read a seed catalogue description of a new (to me) beet variety called "three root grex" which sounded to enticing I decided to try it. "Grex", so I am told, is a term used in orchid breeding and rarely if ever applied to vegetables. but in this case it signifies a gene pool rather than a stable variety with only one expression. This "grex" is supposed to express itself three ways, one a yellow, one a bright pink, and one an iridescent orange. However, all I've encountered so far is the two kinds pictured above-- and I'm not terribly thrilled with the shape of the roots or the performance in the field, either. Normally I'm pretty good about reading in between the lines of seed catalogue descriptions, but it's good to try new things once in a while, and the catalogue was spot on when it praised the flavor. If you don't already like beets-- and I know a lot of people don't-- these won't change your mind, but if you do, you may appreciate the subtle differences between these and the "normal" red varieties.
Summer vegetables are starting to trickle in-- we harvested the very first cucumbers, okra, and tomatoes last week, and expect the first light bean picking mid- week. All these, along with eggplant, should be in full swing in the coming weeks. And believe it or not, this week we're also planting the first of the fall broccoli and carrots. How quickly the summer passes by!
