If you were to hit the streets of any large city in America with a roving mic and ask people, “When was the last time you ate beets?” you’d no doubt get a lot of shoulder shrugs and blank stares.

I grabbed several cookbooks off the shelf at home and turned to the index, but “Beets” and “Beet Greens” were notably absent. When was the last time you, your spouse, significant other or child suggested, “Let’s have …