Borscht! Do Beets Encourage Longevity?

Love beets? ? Both sets of my Russian grandparents thrived on Borscht ( beet soup), and my paternal grandmother lived to the ripe old age of one hundred and seven! Until her death, she was feisty, dignified, happy ,and with it.. Longevity was prevalent with my Russian ancestors and so was borscht ( is there a connection??)
                          
                                                     This is a picture of my relatives ( 1947) .

My paternal grandmother made homemade winter borscht with beets, potatoes, cabbage, bones, and meat. It was served hot and was a hearty healthy meal for the cold nights in Russia.

However, when she came to America, she started making  a vegetarian variety of borscht which she served ice cold and topped with a generous scoop of creamy sour cream. When my paternal grandmother put the borscht and sour cream in the blender, it turned a beautiful hue of hot pink. It was a cooling meal on many a hot , humid, New Jersey night.

Personally, I never really developed a taste for borscht until I was an adult.
I do love beets and will occasionally make some summer borscht topped with creamy Greek yogurt.
I don't use the commercially produced jars of borscht because they contain lots of added sugar and the broth is really thin and sweet- almost like a drink.
My homemade borscht can be delightfully tangy because I add a little apple cider vinegar.

Are beets healthy? You bet, Beets are help cleanse the system and are full of vitamins and minerals. Rich in iron too.

The vegetarian gluten free borscht recipe boasts not only beets but other healthy root vegetables as well. I like to use organic vegetables, which I think enrich the taste and reduce the pesticides.

Think you can't eat the recommended five vegetables a day? Think again and think borscht.
Simple Russian Beetroot Soup (Borscht) serves four

I decided to make it in the crock pot.

Ingredients
1 large onion, sliced ( Yes, I used a red onion ; it was all I had)
Olive oil spray
3 large beets, peeled and quartered 
3 small carrots, chopped
8 cups of water
2 large cloves garlic
2 Tablespoons lemon

Directions:

Turn the crock pot on high and spray with olive oil spray. Add chopped onion, carrots, and garlic and allow to saute for about 10 minutes, stirring as needed. Add beats and water and lemon . Cook on high for 3 and half hours. Blend in the blender with Greek Yogurt . Chill and eat...

Cook in the crock pot on high  for 3 and 1/2 hours or in a pot for 2 hours



Blend with or without Greek Yogurt

My grandparents drank their borscht from a glass..

borscht with Greek yogurt or sour cream