Golden beet ‘Burpee’s Golden’ – a historic rarity with golden-yellow flesh.
This open-pollinated golden beetroot produces rounded roots with orange skin, bright golden-yellow flesh and a pleasantly mild, sweet flavour. Its juicy, tender texture and low earthy note make it particularly versatile in the kitchen. It is well suited to raw dishes and cooked vegetable dishes without staining. In addition to the roots, the rich green leaves with their yellow veins can also be eaten. Its comparatively early maturity and compact growth allow for productive cultivation in garden beds, raised beds and sufficiently deep containers.
Origin & History
‘Burpee’s Golden’ originates from the USA and was bred by the W. Atlee Burpee & Co. seed company in Pennsylvania. A golden beetroot was introduced under the name ‘Golden’, producing orange-coloured roots with yellow flesh and a characteristic flavour. It was among the first commercially available yellow beetroot varieties to gain international significance. The name ‘Burpee’s Golden’, commonly used today, reflects the breeding company from which it originated.
Alongside its golden-yellow roots, the edible leaves were already among the variety’s valued characteristics. It became established as a vegetable grown for both its roots and leafy greens and offers a mild alternative to red beetroot without staining. Beyond American horticulture, it also became established in Europe. Today, this historic variety has a firm place in organic seed production and continues to be maintained and propagated as an open-pollinated golden beetroot. Still relatively little known, the variety is valued as part of the heritage of international organic horticulture and as a rare speciality in the kitchen.
Appearance & Characteristics
The plants develop a compact rosette of rich green, slightly wavy leaves with yellow veins and pale yellow leaf stalks. During the root-harvesting stage, the foliage usually reaches around 25–40 cm in height. The rounded roots sit partly visible above the soil surface. In their second year, plants left for seed production can develop branching flower stems around 100–150 cm tall with inconspicuous greenish flowers. The plants tolerate light frost, but the roots should be protected or harvested before severe or prolonged frost.
Root details:
Size: Medium-sized, around 6–8 cm in diameter
Shape: Round to slightly flattened
Color: Orange skin with pale to golden-yellow flesh
Texture: Juicy, tender and fine-textured; crisp when raw and soft when cooked
Flavor: Mildly sweet, slightly fruity and less earthy than many red beetroot varieties
Usage & Cultivation Highlights
The roots can be finely grated or thinly sliced for raw salads and are also suitable for steaming, boiling, frying or roasting. Their sweet flavour works well in savoury vegetable dishes, soups and purées. They can also be pickled or fermented. Small leaves can be added fresh to salads, while larger leaves and their stalks can be prepared in the same way as chard. For storage, cooked pieces of beetroot can also be frozen.
Their low to moderate nutrient requirements and robust growth make this variety an uncomplicated choice for the home garden. Its suitability for spring and summer sowings allows harvesting over a large part of the growing season. Both tender baby beetroot and fully developed roots can be used, providing a flexible harvest window. The good storage potential of mature roots also makes the variety suitable for winter supplies.
Compared with other beetroot varieties, ‘Burpee’s Golden’ is distinguished by its golden-yellow flesh and mild, sweet, distinctive flavour. Its medium-sized, rounded roots are particularly practical for fresh cooking, while the plants also provide edible leaves.
