I first discovered this mid way through a 3 week hike, where I only had prepacked resupplies – so not a lot of fresh food. A friendly tour group gave me half a beetroot they had leftover from their ridiculously fresh looking lunch. I feel in love.

A beetroot is a great hiking food for so many reasons:

• It doesn’t swish. Unlike a tomato or a banana say, a beetroot can be tossed in your backpack without protection. It’s a good idea to put it in a zip lock bag, otherwise you’ll stain everything.
• It keeps fresh. Cutting off slices when you want it keeps the rest fresh, even after a couple of weeks in a ziplock back. It might go a little soft if it’s warm, but it’ll still taste fresh and have a crunch. On the note…
• It has a crunch. That little release of juice as you bite into it. When you’re living in a world of dehydrated everything, it’s amazing to have a wet vegetable.
• Reasonably light. You don’t need a lot per meal, so even with that fresh “juicy” texture you not adding a lot to your total weight.
• It’s purple. This is more of a psychological thing. It may not be a benefit in your mind, but being a bright colour adds to my meal. When at home I have a pan filled with colours and when I’m in the bush it often sits on the beige/orange spectrum. Adding a bit of colour to my sandwich boosts my mental enjoyment.
• Vitamins. Look, the amount you’ll be eating means this isn’t going to make a huge impact. But something is better than nothing, right? Beetroot is high in vitamin C and iron.
• No waste. You could argue there no one wants to eat the scruffy end, but you can cut that of before you start and then everything else you eat. No peel, no stones, just food. Personally, I normally leave the scruffy end on, it gives me something to hold.

I think that’s enough fan girl-ing over beetroot.

So go and try adding some to your lunch – Wraps, cheese triangles and a few slices of raw beetroot are my favorite.

Note: If you have a flip out knife, try not to get the juice in the joint. It’s a pain to clean.