Lutz Green Leaf

Lutz Green Leaf is an open-pollinated European heirloom that stays in commerce for one reason above all others: it stores better than almost anything else in the beet aisle, which is why catalogues also list it as Winterkeeper or Winter Keeper. Fedco describes it as a European heirloom whose true strain became hard to source after decades of crossing, and treats purple pigment in the tops as evidence of contamination — the authentic line carries green stems and glossy true-green foliage rather than the red-veined tops of most table beets. Growers keep it because the root refuses to go pithy: Territorial reports it holding quality out to six inches across, well past the point where Detroit-type beets turn woody. The foliage is a crop in its own right and is cooked like chard rather than discarded. In a root cellar the eating quality actually improves, with Territorial noting flavour that sweetens with time.