Read: Irish Examiner | Marching to the beet of her own drum
First published in the Irish Examiner on 21 June 2024.
It’s a good source of fibre, high in vitamins and minerals like folate (folic acid), vitamin c, manganese, potassium and iron and has been credited in scientific studies with lowering blood pressure, blood glucose levels and improving exercise performance: if beetroot had been dreamed up by marketeers, it would be sold as a superfood. But this humble root vegetable, that we can grow right here in Ireland, rarely gets that kind of glow up. It’s a crop that is easy to grow in your own garden, stores really well and, even if you’re not blessed with green fingers, Irish-grown beetroot is easily accessible at markets and shops in many different formats.
Many people are put off beetroot by memories of the vinegary slices that bled into every aspect of the typical Irish salad plate, staining the rolls of ham, hard-boiled egg and potato salad a lurid purplish red. But it doesn’t have to be so. For someone who has never looked beyond a jar of pickled beetroot – and even that does have its place – there’s a whole world of beetroot out there to explore. From small crunchy little beauties that you can pull from the soil in your own garden to the big, hefty balls of scarlet, complete with leaves, that are piled high on farmers’ market stalls, beetroot is a delicious raw in salads, roasted for dips and even baked into cakes. Don’t waste those nutritious stems and leaves either – they can be braised with other greens or shredded, stir-fried and eaten as a side dish.
If, however, you just want an easy way to consume the Irish-grown vegetable for more functional reasons, Anne Marie Feighery of Feighery’s Farm in Co Offaly, has the answer: beetroot juice. “The concept for my business came about in 2018…my Dad, Billy, read an article discussing the potential benefits of beetroot juice in reducing blood pressure,” she says.
Around that time, scientific research carried out by Queen Mary University of London and funded by the British Heart Foundation had concluded – using a small sample of volunteers – that the consumption of just 250ml of beetroot juice a day may lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of cardiovascular issues. However, Feighery quickly realised that it wasn’t easy to source a product that was locally produced from beetroot that were grown here. She noted that there was “a lack of Irish-grown beetroot juice available [as] most was imported from countries like Germany and England.”
This didn’t make sense to someone who had grown up on a farm and whose family business was already focused on vegetables. Since the 1980s Feighery’s father, Billy – later joined by her brothers Alan and William – had been growing and selling vegetables at local farmers’ markets. “Beetroot was only ever a very small crop grown on the farm,” says Feighery, “in comparison to the main crops [which were] potatoes, carrots, onions, broccoli, turnips and cabbage.” That changed when she worked with Eddie O’Neill, Artisan Food specialist in Fermoy’s Teagasc Moorepark to look at the viability of beetroot juice as a business idea.“The beetroot crop on the farm was increased and it pretty much steamrolled from there.” Feighery launched the product in 2019 and the feedback was “extremely positive. So much so that what started off as a business idea on the side became so busy I went full-time into it three years ago. I have not looked back since.”
“Growing up on a farm with a love for all things health and food related, my business is now a combination of all the things I am passionate about. The fact it also connects me back to the farm with my Dad and brothers is very special.”
The Queen Mary University of London research, led by Professor Amrita Ahluwalia, found that the positive effect of beetroot on blood pressure comes from high levels of dietary nitrate, a natural chemical also found in vegetables like spinach, kale and cabbage and which, when changed by the body into nitric oxide, may help with blood flow and blood pressure. For those who are trying to consume dietary nitrate in a bid to reduce blood pressure, Ahluwalia advised against boiling beetroot – because nitrates are water soluble – but said that “steaming, roasting or drinking in a juice all has a positive effect.”
It’s a recommendation that works for Feighery who says that beetroot is “one of the healthiest vegetables you can juice…[and] offers a convenient way to harness its health benefits [as] it is loaded with antioxidants, potassium, iron, folic acid, nitrates and vitamin c.” Her nutrient-rich juice contains just two ingredients: “homegrown pesticide-free Offaly beetroot (70%) blended with Tipperary apples (30%) sourced from Con Traas’s Apple Farm outside Cahir.” The sweetness of the vivid drink comes naturally, with no added sugar. For those who want to go full beet, Feighery also produces a concentrated beetroot juice named the Beet Bullet.
When it comes down to eating whole beetroot or drinking it in juice format, for Feighery’s customers, “drinking the juice delivers a more concentrated dose of nitrates, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.” This is useful for people using it as a functional food – “those who are wanting to up their beetroot intake for, say, medical reasons or to improve athletic performance.” It can be a way of making consumption easy for people: “the juice is a more convenient option than, say the alternative, eating multiple beetroot per serving as the equivalent might be slightly harder on the digestive system!” Beetroot is one of those vegetables that will have a colourful impact on subsequent toilet visits so it’s as well to be warned in advance if you’re thinking of increasing your consumption. That said, Feighery is still a fan of the root in its un-juiced format: “I do love beetroot in its raw form. What’s not to like!”
Find Feighery’s Farm Irish Beetroot Juice in SuperValu nationwide and independent stockists like Ardkeen Stores, Nolans of Contarf, Avoca, Nourish Health Food Stores and online at www.feigherysfarm.ie.
To learn about growing your own beetroot, check out the GIY website: giy.ie/veg-directory/beetroot
