[Sca-cooks] RE Beets and backfiles was Beets was Vol 9, Issue 13

[Johnna Holloway]

I have spent time off and on since Sunday evening going through various
herbals online and every other resource that I can think of that might 
answer
this question of did they eat the root (actually it's really not a root---
Beta vulgaris (Beet) develop a prominent root-like structure which is not
 a true root, but a hypocotyl. The top portion of the beet is consumed
 as a green leafy vegetable.  True roots develop from the tap root. ) or did
they just consume the leafy parts of the beet in the 1590's in England?

The one aspect that no one has mentioned but actually may have a great
deal of bearing on the topic is that of the famines in England in the 
1590's.
There was a three year period of rainy summers and harvest failures 
beginning with the summer
of 1594. It was at this time that Sir Hugh Plat was publishing
his Sundrie nevv and artificiall remedies against famine.
Written by H.P. Esq. vppon thoccasion of this present dearth, [London] :
Printed by P[eter] S[hort] dwelling on Breadstreet hill, at the signe of 
the Starre,  1596.
In Profitable insructions [sic] for the manuring, sowing, and planting 
of kitchin gardens
Very profitable for the common wealth and greatly for the helpe and 
comfort of
poore people,  Richard Gardiner of Shrewsberie.
was writing at about the same time of 1599 :
"And many of the poore said to me, they had nothing to eate but onely 
carrets
 and Cabedges, which they had of me for many daies, and but onelie water 
to drinke. "
(Unfortunately Gardiner doesn't mention beets but he includes a great deal
about carrots!)

Malcolm Thicke has written that these famines led to an increased need 
for root vegetables
to be eaten. One wonders if suddenly the beetroot was looked upon more 
favorably.

I shall have more to post in a couple days on the topic.

Johnnae llyn Lewis