Paco's beets.

One of the many Paco's who has land here in Montenegro, has something growing which I've been looking at for a few weeks thinking it looks like spinach and if so, why isn't he picking it?  And more importantly, why hasn't it bolted and gone to seed?  It's in full sun all day, and until Sunday evening I'd never seen it being watered and we walk past twice a day with the dogs.

He has the most dreadful looking grey,  rock hard  soil  but once it's been ploughed a couple of times, first into big lumps then down to a fine powder it produces the most amazing vegetables.  He only has a large heap of manure but even that doesn't seem  to be dug in - only gets put round the base of his vines.

About 10 days ago he was within earshot so I asked him what he was growing and he said "remolacha"  which to you and I are beetroot.  Now he has a very strong local accent and I don't always catch everything he says but that was a definite.  But these leaves are green, no sign of red stalks or veins like I always thought beetroot had and so I consulted my vegetable book.  They looked very much like a leaf beet ....beetroot - leaf beet ......also considered to be a bit like spinach which is what I'd first thought.

Then he said would I like some?  Obviously yes, never turn down free food so he said come up tomorrow afternoon and you can take some as I have more down there.....waving his arm somewhere in the distance.  More?  There must be a couple of hundred plants just where we were talking!   Up I went the next afternoon - about 6 o'clock which is when he waters  as it's getting  a bit cooler but no sign of him.  Oh well.

Next day at 6 o'clock, a knock on the gate and there he was with an arm full of plants.  Come in, have a beer and tell us what they are!   Remolacha he said,  but they look at bit like a nabo (turnip to us)  John said,  well yes said Paco but these are  much sweeter  and they can grow to 4 or 5 kilos each.

He gave us planting and watering instructions - go and plant them right now......and later on when we'd settled down with a well earned drink John suddenly said ' I bet they're sugar beet - white like a turnip but long like a parsnip, large like a swede but sweet like a sweet potato'   and after a quick search on google that's what we think we've got.   And you cook them like all the root veg that they look and taste like - roast, boil, mash, whatever.

And we've got 48 of them growing.  So now when I go past Paco's field of beets I have good look to see what he's done - if these grow well then we'll let some go to seed for next year.