Beta vulgaris
This striking, flame-colored beet is the brainchild of breeder Irwin Goldman. Irwin is brilliant. In many ways, he thinks like a chef, and he’s passionate about focusing people’s attention on the characteristics in vegetables that typically go unnoticed. In this case, he wanted to create a visually striking beet, one with a vibrant orange-yellow interior and cylindrical shape. But he also wanted to take on the beet’s dirty reputation—the earthy flavor that many blame for their beet aversion.
It turns out, this signature earthiness is caused by geosmin, an organic compound produced primarily by microbes in the soil, but also by certain plants. Irwin's lab has spent years searching for the genes that produce this earthiness, and, in doing so, they discovered how to change the beet's flavor. Led by Irwin and technician Nick Breitbach, their team selected the Badger Flame over several years, combining laboratory analysis with old-school techniques (read: eating beets raw in the field). The result? A beet that is mild and sweet, and delicious raw.
Our Badger Flames’ story continued in the fields of Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, where Farm Director Jack Algiere trialled the beets for several years. His participatory breeding work—studiously selecting the best roots from each crop in tandem with seedsman Matthew Goldfarb—helped to improve our initial foundation seed.
The Badger Flame Beet is a Plant Variety Protected Variety (PVP #201400381). Anyone interested in commercial seed production or sales of this variety should pursue a license from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (web: www.warf.org, email: licensing@warf.org). These licenses support future breeding efforts and respect the community investment in the beet's creation. Our Badger Flame seeds were produced in NY and WA.