Crapaudine beets

The crapaudine beet is one of the most flavorful, with carrot-shaped roots that have rough, dark colored skin which looks like tree bark. It is one of the oldest varieties, hailing from the time of France’s Emperor Charlemagne. 

Aptly named, the crapaudine beet is lumpy and bumpy and may seem difficult to peel, but it’s just as easy to use as a regular, garden-variety beet, and the deep purple flesh is much sweeter and tastier than that of a traditional beet.