Years and years ago I cooked fresh beets by boiling, then I peeled them, sliced and buttered them and served them hot. They were delicious, but boy, did I pay a price! I had small children at the time, so after I set the pot on the stove and turned the heat to high to "get it started", I walked away to see to the kids and forgot about the beets. By the time I went back into the kitchen, I had something to see! They were boiling and boiling and boiling and the steam had condensed all over the walls, and the walls were literally running RED along with the white painted cabinets!I had such a job ahead of me - you wouldn't believe! And I had to get it all cleaned up before hubby got home so he shouldn't know how stupid I was! He found out anyway because try as I might, the beet juice left rivulets of stains and we had to paint everything! Lesson well learned - never leave the stove unattended. Since then, I buy canned!