Slow Cooker Harvard Beets - A CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Box Recipe

Two of my later CSA boxes had 1-pound bags of beets in them.  Now, I LOVE beets, but nobody else in my family is a fan of cooked (hot) beets.  That Girl and I both are pickled beet fiends, but I’m pretty sure I’m the Hot Beet Queen (now THERE’S a mental image).  

When I eat at an MCL cafeteria in Indianapolis, I can guarantee that at least one of my side dishes will be Harvard beets.  (Yes, I often choose to have TWO orders of Harvard beets - you wanna make something of it?)

I was browsing one of my untouched cookbooks, Taste of Home's Slow Cooker Throughout the Year, and came across this easy recipe for Harvard beets in a slow cooker:



Slow Cooker Harvard Beets

2 pounds small fresh beets, peeled and halved
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c packed brown sugar
2 T cornstarch
1/2 t salt
1/4 c orange juice
1/4 c vinegar
2 T butter
1 t whole cloves

Place beets in a 3-quart slow cooker.  In a bowl, combine the sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, orange juice, and vinegar. Pour over the beets in the slow cooker, then dot with the butter.  Place the cloves on a double thickness of cheesecloth, bring up the corners, and tie with string.  Place the clove bag in the slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours, or until tender.  Discard the clove bag.