We don't grow beets at our farm because our soil and irrigation system are not fit for beets.  The majority of the beets we include in the CSA are from French Farm or Verde Farm, both of which are located in Homestead and have more moisture in their soil.  Beets need consistent moisture to grow at a normal pace and when we've tried to grow them in our sandy soil which dries out dramatically every day between watering, we get elongated, woody and tiny beets not even worth juicing.  Both Verde Farm and French Farm grow a few different varieties of beets.  Sometimes you'll get standard red beets, but sometimes you'll get Chioggia beets which have white interiors with a candy cane swirl of color or Cylindra which are long and cylindrical like the name implies.  All beets no matter shape or color can be used interchangeably in cooking; the main difference is appearance, but there is a subtle flavor difference if you look for it.

You may or may not know this, but beets and chard are very closely related.  Beet greens are so much like chard that you can eat them the same way, which is why we try to include beets with tops in the shares as much as we can.  An important tip for storing root veggies with tops is to cut the tops off as soon as you get them home and store the roots and the tops separately.  They will both keep their crunch and firmness longer this way because when they are attached the leaves continue to pull moisture from the roots and cause them to shrivel.