Red Mammoth Fodder Beet (100 days) 

Fodder beets have been around since the 1400s if not earlier.  These beets were prized as nutritious animal feed that was easy to store.  Fodder beets are hardy, adaptable and palatable. They are ideal for planting in late summer for use as a winter and spring crop. 

Red Mammoth Mangel Beets produce an incredible mass of edible beet leaves and a large root up to 20#s or more in size!    These beets prefer deeply tilled, free draining, sandy soil to achieve full size. Simply allow your animals to graze on the tops, cut the tops for feeding or harvest the root. 

1940 Oscar H. Will Pure Seed Book says...
"The heaviest yielder and most popular of all Mangels the light red roots are pinkish fleshed and grow well out of the ground. Yields run as high as fifty tons to the acre."

This is a sure way to put away enough food for your animals as they face the cold winter.  Leave them in the ground and harvest as needed.  Unless you are covered with snow, then I suggest you root cellar them. 

We are going to experiment next year with feeding the tops and roots to our rabbits.  Supposed to be really good for them and a excellent source of nutrients the homesteader can grow. 

Also, a great use for these amazing root vegetables is for home brewing!  Many fruit beers or wines utilize the sugar content to create the alcohol.  With lots of sugar in them they can make a fine old fashioned beer as this guy shows!