BEETROOT

The Italians introduced red beetroot to the rest of Europe, and French gardeners made lots of selections. Ask Middle Eastern folks for red ones and look for yellow ones in old German settlements, such as the Barossa Valley, the Murray flats, and York Peninsula in South Australia, and Tarrington, the Mallee and Geelong in western Victoria. In New South Wales, German settlers also established themselves on the edges of cities, often as market gardeners. Bull's Blood, an ancient variety, is also grown for its reddish, purple leaf. Early Wonder is an old flat type that is suitable to early planting and has been replaced by both Early Market and the Dutch bred Boltardy. Detroit Dark Red is often used as a main crop of the mid-season. In New Zealand, Crimson Globe, Rapid Red, Dewar's Dwarf and Early Flat Egyptian, which Yates distributed from early this century until the mid-thirties, may still be grown in some North Island gardens. The long and half-long types are often of good quality but their hairy appearance and lack of uniformity made them less popular in the past, so many tasty strains have disappeared. Century, Obelisk, and Winter Keeper are in this long-rooted group.