blake wrote:

>>> according to Rodale Press' "Successful Organic Gardening" book on
>>> Vegetables, that Latin name for beet is Beta vulgaris, Swiss chard's is
>>> Beta vulgaris var. cicla; common names for Swiss chard are silverbeet
>>> and leaf beet. The chard I grow> produces a huge root, but I've never
>>> tried cooking it; might be something to try
>>>
>>> There's a number of related vegetables where we grow one member of a
>>> family for its roots and another for its leaves; think radishes and
>>> kale.
>>
>> They may be related babe, but they are still not a beet dammit! ;-d
>
> exactly. tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, bell peppers and tobacco are all
> in the nightshade family, but they are not 'the same.'


But beets and chard are the same SPECIES, just different variations. It's
like saying that a dog is no longer a dog simply because it's a different
breed from the "original" dog.

Bob