By now gardens should be cleaned up from all harvest, covered with compost, grass clippings or shredded leaves.

All the weeds should have been removed so they won鈥檛 start to grow first thing in the spring. 

Don鈥檛 worry if some plants are left. 

Seed heads in particular are a vital food source for birds and other wildlife, while the fading plant matter makes the perfect home for many beneficial insects.

Now is the time to enjoy all the root vegetables stored for winter.

I harvested the last of my beets only a few weeks ago but all the tops were already harvested a few weeks back for some soup.

I dug up most of the Jerusalem artichokes but I am sure to see some sprouting again next year.

If you plant them, make sure they are out of the way because even the smallest piece will start a new plant.

If you rototill your garden, they will sprout all over. You can always grow them in pots and this would solve the problem.

It is a bit like horseradish roots that will come back year after year.

However, if you remove all the new growth as it comes, eventually they will give up (after a few years)

A lot more on the site and recipes: .

鈥淏eetroots are especially high in folate, manganese, and copper.

Folate is essential for DNA synthesis and preventing neural tube defects in babies. I

t鈥檚 also been shown to reduce risk for heart disease, cancer, and depression.

Manganese is needed for enzymatic processes in your body, as well as for metabolism, wound healing, and healthy bones.

Copper keeps your immune system healthy, helps create red blood cells, and supports energy production.

Beet greens are full of vitamins A, C, K, and B2.

Red beets get their rich pigment from phytonutrients called betalains.

The two most well-known betalains are vulgaxanthin and betanin, which have antioxidant, cancer-fighting, and anti-inflammatory properties.

As you can see, beets are very high in nutrition.

Beets, along with spinach, carrots, and cabbage, are a great source of nitrates.

Nitrates are compounds that convert to nitric oxide in the body. Nitric oxide opens up your blood vessels, which helps lower blood pressure and heart rate.

Conventional beets grown to eat are not genetically modified.

But 鈥渟ugar beets鈥� are a specific variety that contain a high concentration of sucrose and are used specifically for refined sugar production.

In fact, more than half of all sugar used in the United States comes from sugar beets.

Nearly all the commercially cultivated sugar beets are Roundup Ready. This means they have been genetically engineered to be resistant to glyphosate, the main active ingredient in the highly controversial pesticide, Roundup.

Roundup is an endocrine disruptor, an antibiotic, and a probable carcinogen.

It鈥檚 sprayed heavily on Roundup Ready sugar beets.

If you want to avoid GMOs and glyphosate, that鈥檚 a good reason to choose only cane sugar 鈥� or better yet, avoid added sugar altogether.鈥�

I have replaced sugar by date paste. It works in most recipes and sweet enough plus has fiber.

Soak one cup of chopped dates in a three-quarter cup of water for a couple hours and blend into a paste. Add water one tablespoon at a time if too thick.

Will keep in the fridge for a short while or freeze for later.

Very good with plain yogurt.

For more information: 250-558-4556 or jocelynesewell@gmail.com.