A recipe without a precise origin. But what’s clear is that it’s at least a hundred years old.
A recipe for Harvard beets appeared in the Nov. 27, 1916 edition of the El Paso Herald. In the 1920s, the pay-per-view Boston Globe ran the recipe a couple of times. And similar recipe to this one appeared in the Mar 1, 1935 edition of The Pittsburgh Press.
From the box of L.S. from Joplin, Missouri.
Harvard Beets
To each can of beets:
- Pour off liquid
- 2 tsp. vinegar
- 1 T. cornstarch
- 1 tsp. sugar
Heat to thicken and drop in the beets to heat them.