hehehe.. yup, my dad grown his own onions and beetroot and cabbage etc.. potatoes, carrots.. feck, could stock up tescos with the amount of veg he grew this year.. now hes retired hes got time to spend down the allotment.. we even get tomatoes from the green house as well... which are rather nice.. but back to topic..
yup, you are right when betroot is being boiled it does stink of mud!!! dont spill any of that juice anywhere either.. it wont come off easily either!
not a big fan of beetroot myself, though I will eat almost anything... I will only eat beetroot on the odd occasion... more a pickled red cabbage perosn myself, but that was my grandads department, and he died 10 years ago.. so not had red cabbage much at all since...