Sweetheart

Dark red, broad elliptic roots. Wide at the shoulders, tapering at the base (heart-shaped). Semi-smooth skin. Dark purple-red flesh with faint concentric rings. Good flavor, moderately sweet, less earthy. Leaves green to purple-green with purple veins and petioles; upright. Beets 4-5" long, 2-3" wide, and 6-9oz at market maturity. Late maturing. Reputedly store well. Acquired by SSE at an unknown date from the Farmer Seed and Nursery Co of Faribault, MN (CV Fa1). This variety was released in 1958 after being developed at the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station by Dr. A. F. Yeager and Prof. E. Meader. It is a cross between the Detroit Dark Red table beet and U.S. #225 sugar beet, resulting in a red table beet with the sweetness of a sugar beet. UNH Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin #440 (published in 1957) claims it rated excellent in cooking tests. SSE Accession # 106264