You could leave them in the ground covered by a lot of leaves/mulch and then dig them as needed. If you have a cellar/basement/crawl space with dirt floor you could also just lay them on the ground... but don't wash them first.

Agree that in the ground heavily mulched works great unless your ground freezes hard. You can also store them buried in boxes of sand in a cool dry place such as a basement or cellar.

You can also freeze them: http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze/beet.html

Dave

I don't grow enough beets for long term storage but when I want to save beets for seed I dig them up in the fall, wash them, let the surface water dry, and keep them in plastic bags in the fridge. They stay fresh until I re-plant them in spring. So the fridge works well for storing beets but if you've got a lot of them I think they'd take up too much space. (I only save about a half-dozen for seed and the reason I dig them in the fall is because beets won't overwinter in the soil here)

Below is a link to a discussion on storing carrots (and beets).

Rodney

Here is a link that might be useful: Storing Carrots

I have had great luck with roasting then freezing. I love roasted beets.

Steve

I just pulled the rest of mine, I can't leave them in the covered in the garden because the deer will smell them under the leaves and eat them. If the voles and mice don't find them first.

My freezers are full. I keep the trimmed beets buried in a very large tub filled with peat moss, in the garage, circa 50êF.

This works fine until March, then they start to grow.

I keep mine, along with carrots, in the vegetable bin in the fridge. They keep for many months, deep into spring.

Once in a while I buy canned beets. They taste pretty good.
So another option is to can them for easy storage for a long time.

If I want to prepare from fresh, I will slow cook them , like in crock pot.( with a little water ) and then freeze them.

Thanks everyone! I think I'll store them in the fridge as long and I can. After picking, if there are too many, I'll try roasting and freezing a few. I don't really have a cool place like a garage to store. I canned some in the spring, and don't want to can anymore.

My dad found his shriveled in the fridge - too dry. If you don't have a cool humid place I'd try keeping them in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel?

I don't even know if he dug the rest of his - he had asked me about pickling them, but never brought them down.

I have not tried roasting and freezing, though it sounds intriguing. What is best for reheating those?

I have steamed in pressure cooker, quickly peeled and diced, then covered with raw vinegar while still quite hot and put them in the fridge. They appear to be unchanged for at least 3 or 4 weeks, and by then we have used them up on salads. Must make some today...yum!

I imagine they could be properly fermented.