Crapaudine / Rouge Crapaudine

[Ian Pearson]

This is an old variety of beetroot I thought would be worth trying to get hold of. I just wondered if anyone here had grown it, and could comment on the taste. By the way, 'crapaudine' is apparently French for a female toad. Thomas Etty seems to be the only UK supply of seed this year.

[Ian Pearson]

[Jayb]

I thought I had some seed I could have shared, sadly not.

[Jayb]

I came across an interesting beetroot and chard article by Mother Earth News http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/heirloom-beet-varieties-chard-zewz1303zsch.aspx#Bastian's 

"The Crapaudine beet is known to date from at least the seventeenth century and may be much older. A "black" swollen-rooted variety of chard was known as early as 320 B.C. in Greece and may in fact be the ancient progenitor of this distinctive black-skinned beet, according to food historian Andrew Dalby (1996, 83). In any case, it was raised in this country during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by wealthy individuals who could afford to import seed from France at their own expense. Beyond that, the beet was not generally available from American seedsmen until James J. H. Gregory began offering it in his seed catalogs during the late 1860s. Gregory noted in his 1868 catalog that the "French esteem this as best of all for table use," which was entirely true. Its flavor is unmatched.

However, the outer skin of the beet is remarkable, since it resembles tree bark and is about as easy to remove. While epicures in the dining room extolled its exquisite taste and its proverbial French-ness, American cooks railed against the Crapaudine with ax in hand. If the barky skin can be said to have a benefit, it is clearly in the protection it affords the beet while in the ground. I left a row of Crapaudines in the garden over the winter one year, and they were not only undamaged by a hard freeze but actually sent out leaves under deep snow. I would therefore recommend the beet for its hardiness. On clay soil it tends to be tough, but on sandy ground the beet grows more round in shape and less dense. And, happily, the skin seems to slip off easier after prolonged cooking.

The leaves of this beet are also quite distinctive, being a dark metallic purple, "mulberry color," as it was called in the 1600s. They make perfectly stunning salad greens, but they are much subject to leaf miners during hot, dry weather. I suggest keeping the plants well watered so that they are not weakened. Insecticidal soap applied regularly to the leaves will eliminate the leaf miners."

[Ian Pearson]

 Very useful information Jayb. Thank you. I do like the sound of it, particularly its hardiness and resistance to bad conditions, as is often the case with very old varieties.