This trip was sponsored by Love Beets. All opinions are my own and I hope you love reading about my experience on the farm!
Last month I had the opportunity to travel to Rochester New York to tour Love Beets farms and facilities. Not only was it my first time on a beet farm, it was my first time into a production facility for vegetables. I loved being able to see the entire process of growing beets from the farm to the facility and even where they test out the best possible packaging for them to be in.
After a warm welcome to Rochester, we headed out to Love Beets production facility where we saw firsthand how the beets make it from farm to package. As with any fruit and vegetable, there are things they look for that tell them that the beet is not good. The reason they all look the same by the time we see them in our packages is because they’ve been checked for those little imperfections. We got to hear first hand from people who have worked their since they first started growing beets, and you could just tell by the tone of their voice just how happy they were to tell us about this amazing vegetable!
As a dietitian, I’m always curious to learn more about how our food is grown, how it’s handled and what needs to go on behind the scenes to make sure it is safe for us. In order to get into the facility we had to wear protective clothing from head to toe to ensure the highest possible safety of the beets as you can see below! If you’re wondering if it smelled like beets when we walked it there, it sure did!
After seeing what the processing process looks like, we headed to the beat farm. It was a cloudy, overcast day which to me made the green and dark red hues of the farm stand out even more. I had the chance to pluck one from the ground which became loose with a gentle pull. Beets are a great source of many vitamins and minerals including, iron, B vitamins, fiber and magnesium. They also contain nitrates that are converted to nitric oxide in the blood which helps with blood pressure regulation. My favorite way to eat beets would have to be on a salad or in hummus! If you’ve never tried it hummus I highly recommend it!
On the farm we heard firsthand from researchers on growing beets and the challenges they face as they expand the farm and face different demands from consumers. It was super interesting to hear from them on what new innovations are on the horizon.
As far as the group of us who went? It was a mix of food and lifestyle bloggers and dietitians. I loved the conversation with others in the food and wellness space on their perspective on certain topics and their favorite way to enjoy beets! It was so nice to finally meet some that I’ve been following on Instagram in real life!
If you haven’t yet tried Love Beets, take my word for it when I say a lot of care goes into growing them, taking care of them, and making sure they get to our tables safely. I’m such a fan of the convenience of Love Beets already coming in a cooked packaged to add them to literally anything!
