Umm, what's a mangel?

Mangels/mangel-wurzels/mangolds are basically as others have described. Look, after the good Lord has gone to so much trouble to give you Google, why not use it? You disrespect his efforts, or what?

Anyway, they're BIG BEETS (tubers). Basically they're like sugar beet's big brother, but twice the dimensions every way (i.e. about eight times the volume), and about half the sugar concentration (say in real rough terms, give-or-take, 10%). They come in globe or cylinder shape, red or yellow colour (I understand some have sugar-beet genes now, and are more-or-less colourless).

They're beets - like sugar beet or beetroot. That is, people can eat it, if you chew or chop it fine enough. They're also related to silverbeet/chard - means you can eat the leaves as well, just like you can with beetroot. I've seen one reference say mangold/beet leaves are poisonous, but it was wrong. Well, it was confused, I guess. They were mixing it up between beetroot leaves and rhubarb leaves. Both have reddish stalks and leaves. Beet leaves and stalks of any kind are fine to eat.

DIVERSION/EXPLANATION: Rhubarb (not beet) leaves and stalks are deadly poisonous. You can manage rhubarb stalks if you cook them in enough changes of water to get rid of enough of the poisonous oxalic acid (you'll notice they're still sour, but properly cooked you'd have to try very hard to eat enough to kill you). Leaves are different - can't cook them right to make them safe for people, although they make a very effective pesticide spray.

BACK TO SUBJECT: Mangolds make an effective winter forage/storage crop (depending on climate). You can turn stock in on them in autumn, and they'll eat the leaves, then eat the roots down to the ground. NOTE THAT that may only be half the tubers - some grazing stock can't or won't get the underground part of the tubers, if any. Some sheep or cattle can figure out that they need to paw the other half of the tuber out of the ground, but ruminants aren't always noted for deep thinking. It can be worthwhile running pigs over ANY field that's contained root crops, once you think you've finished with it. The pigs will generally show you they've got enough brains to show you different.

If you're going to store mangolds then it can be worthwhile running grazing stock over them first, quickly, watching them, so the stock take the leaves and only the leaves. Then store them in clamps, preferably undercover (sheds) (they last longer if they can breathe, rather than rotting anaerobically - the roots are made to last season-to-season given a reasonable chance). Breaking them fine is definitely worthwhile - I HAVE definitely heard of stock being blocked-up by root crops or lumps thereof (including insufficiently-broken-up mangolds). Breaking them fine also makes them more digestible - nothing passes through undigested.

One of the first English reporters on mangolds from the Continent mentioned that they also made an acceptable beer. That is, choosing a yellow or colourless root, the juice would ferment just fine (so would a red, but the beer would leave your moustache looking funny). Not as sweet as sugar beet, but you'd need to dilute either for fermentation anyway. Conversely, you'd have to evaporate mangold juice more than sugar-beet juice to produce sugar, but it's worth doing if it's the only alternative you've got.

IN SHORT, mangolds (mangels) can be useful. They're definitely worth keeping going as a homesteading crop anywhere below a sub-tropical level, even if only as something in a corner of the field to keep the seed viable, using the leaves a fortnight a year, and the tubers another fortnight a year. That at least will keep the seeds available if you need to expand on your options.

Mangels/mangel-wurzels/mangolds are basically as others have described. Look, after the good Lord has gone to so much trouble to give you Google, why not use it? You disrespect his efforts, or what?

Anyway, they're BIG BEETS (tubers). Basically they're like sugar beet's big brother, but twice the dimensions every way (i.e. about eight times the volume), and about half the sugar concentration (say in real rough terms, give-or-take, 10%). They come in globe or cylinder shape, red or yellow colour (I understand some have sugar-beet genes now, and are more-or-less colourless).

They're beets - like sugar beet or beetroot. That is, people can eat it, if you chew or chop it fine enough. They're also related to silverbeet/chard - means you can eat the leaves as well, just like you can with beetroot. I've seen one reference say mangold/beet leaves are poisonous, but it was wrong. Well, it was confused, I guess. They were mixing it up between beetroot leaves and rhubarb leaves. Both have reddish stalks and leaves. Beet leaves and stalks of any kind are fine to eat.

DIVERSION/EXPLANATION: Rhubarb (not beet) leaves and stalks are deadly poisonous. You can manage rhubarb stalks if you cook them in enough changes of water to get rid of enough of the poisonous oxalic acid (you'll notice they're still sour, but properly cooked you'd have to try very hard to eat enough to kill you). Leaves are different - can't cook them right to make them safe for people, although they make a very effective pesticide spray.

BACK TO SUBJECT: Mangolds make an effective winter forage/storage crop (depending on climate). You can turn stock in on them in autumn, and they'll eat the leaves, then eat the roots down to the ground. NOTE THAT that may only be half the tubers - some grazing stock can't or won't get the underground part of the tubers, if any. Some sheep or cattle can figure out that they need to paw the other half of the tuber out of the ground, but ruminants aren't always noted for deep thinking. It can be worthwhile running pigs over ANY field that's contained root crops, once you think you've finished with it. The pigs will generally show you they've got enough brains to show you different.

If you're going to store mangolds then it can be worthwhile running grazing stock over them first, quickly, watching them, so the stock take the leaves and only the leaves. Then store them in clamps, preferably undercover (sheds) (they last longer if they can breathe, rather than rotting anaerobically - the roots are made to last season-to-season given a reasonable chance). Breaking them fine is definitely worthwhile - I HAVE definitely heard of stock being blocked-up by root crops or lumps thereof (including insufficiently-broken-up mangolds). Breaking them fine also makes them more digestible - nothing passes through undigested.

One of the first English reporters on mangolds from the Continent mentioned that they also made an acceptable beer. That is, choosing a yellow or colourless root, the juice would ferment just fine (so would a red, but the beer would leave your moustache looking funny). Not as sweet as sugar beet, but you'd need to dilute either for fermentation anyway. Conversely, you'd have to evaporate mangold juice more than sugar-beet juice to produce sugar, but it's worth doing if it's the only alternative you've got.

IN SHORT, mangolds (mangels) can be useful. They're definitely worth keeping going as a homesteading crop anywhere below a sub-tropical level, even if only as something in a corner of the field to keep the seed viable, using the leaves a fortnight a year, and the tubers another fortnight a year. That at least will keep the seeds available if you need to expand on your options.

Your Post:
MY post:
I DID Google it(I love Google!!), and came back with some rather odd results. Thank goodness for you and the others on this forum, I now have so much wonderful information my head is spinning!

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3 pages of posts on mangels, lol....ya gotta love this site!

Martin, thank you kindly for your offer, but I received my mangel seeds just the other day.

I always appreciate your posts, you have a LOT of knowledge!

I guess if everyone agreed with everything, the world would be a lot more boring, lol!

All I know is that I am going to grow mangels, I am going to store them and I am going to feed them to the piggies....and I'll report back as to how the whole experiment works out!

Oh, well DUH, I was looking under B for Beets!!

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I noticed that Jungs had Golden and Mammoth Red, which is better?

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The most common one that I've heard of was always the red-skinned type. Articles in stock animal magazines have never specified variety. According to the packet instructions on the gold variety, they share the same problem as golden beets. That is, poor germination. Therefore the packets have twice as many seeds as stated.

Martin

Thanks very much!

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I didn't know they had yellow ones until I say them online. Everyone I've talked to has grown the dark red ones. I wonder if the yellow is as good or maybe even better. Has anyone grown them or compared them?

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well, I just learned a lot on here!
I also have ordered some mangel seeds.
I will start growing these for my animals.
thnx ya'll!

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My wife and I grow these and use them for table beets. Slice them and steam them, and other than the color, you wouldn't know the difference between them and a regular beet. Give them about a foot on each side, because the leaves need to spread out to grow well, and keep them watered, and you'll have more than you can eat. We also use the leaves for salad greens, they're just a little tougher than lettuce, especially good with italian dressing. They'll grow about anywhere, and seem to start out white on the inside when they're young, and then get more and more red pigment the bigger they get. I have a couple right now in my garden that are about 2-3 lbs each, and they're growing fast. Wonderful to slice, as they're long and tubular.

And an Onager (Equus hemionus) is a first cousin to a jackass.

As usual, I haven't read all the posts so may be repeating something already posted, but this is too important to overlook... Some of it was told to me in a phone conversation by someone who grew them for several years, some was from articles I read, none is from personal experience.

Mangles must be left in the ground until after the first frost (NEVER feed mangles before a frost). They have to have the frost to sweeten them or they'll be bitter. They can be left in the ground all winter, not needing to be dug and stored. But if you prefer to dig & store them, they can be, but I forget how they are to be stored.

Often cattle are turned into a mangle field AFTER the frost, so they can eat the tops, then pigs are turned in for the winter and they root up the roots all winter long.

Mangles will grow 1/2 under ground and about 1/2 above ground. There's no way you'll accidentally overlook one when harvesting them. They will grow to be huge. I forget what the record is, but it's not unusual for them to be anywhere from 1 to 2 feet long and bigger around than a dinner plate. A single mangle could feed a rabbit for a very long time.

They are good feed for almost all animals. Rabbits love to munch on small pieces cut off a root. Goats love the tops, as do cattle. They can also be used for human consumption.

Everything I've read and been told makes them sound like an all round feed choice for all animals. If there is any animal that can't eat them, I don't remember reading or hearing about it.

I hope this info helps someone. I bought seeds online from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. I also got the little white sugar beets from them. I intend to make some homemade sugar from them.

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I will try this again-- I live about 40 miles from a sugar beet processing plant. Sugar beets are usually processed in Oct, I think the plant runs 24/7 during this time. they beg for help and farmers beg for truckers to haul. I can go into the fields at harvest and usually make off with a haul or just follow the trail. These sugar beets are white or light in color and can be about 10 to 14 inches in diameter. Beet pulp is a by product and we used be be able to buy it dried, but now they send it out to be dried. Farmers/ranchers contract the wet pulp by the ton for cattle. It freezes and the cattle chew on it--they have a long waiting list. This year I am going to try to keep it all winter along with the pumpkin and squash. I think I will see how it freezes. We cut it up and let them chew on it. They like it. Carolyn

16½ months later, I can almost answer your question. I grew the red ones last year and growing the gold ones this year. For foliage, the Golden Eckendorf is a lovely yellow with just a hint of green. It looks almost like an Italian golden chard that I grew several times in the past. Deer see that and nothing but my vilest spray mix will stop them from trying to eat them to the ground! As a result, the bulbs have been slower to size up than the Mammoth Reds last year.

I did save 4 of the red mangels to experiment with saving seeds. If anyone has tried to save regular beet seed and know how big the plant may be, these things are 3 times as big and 10 times as many branches in every direction.

Martin

ok, this is off topic a bit, but with such a lengthy explanation filled with kudos for google, i couldn't help myself. since when are rhubarb stalks poisonous? the leaves, certainly, but the stalks make an awesome pie without the need for parboiling. as a matter of fact, the stalk is also eaten raw by those with a taste for tart things.

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"All that is gold does not glitter..."

Resurrection of the mangel thread! We're growing them again this year, we actually just got one row thinned the other day. Still have several more rows to go.

Thinnings are getting tossed to the chickens, who gobble them right up. I've also taken some thinnings and transplanted them, which works too.

We saved some over winter last year, and have put them in the garden this Spring to try to set seed. We got more seed to plant this year, thanks to Martin!!!

Our pigs and chickens both love mangels, the leaves and the roots. We fed them last year Prior to frost, had no problems at all, and they ate everything we gave them.....

Check out our blog if anyone wants more info. There are labels on the right hand side, and you'll find the mangel label there.

Annie

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I always knew them as "stock beets" - a roop crop grown as forage for livestock. Like field turnips.

We have been growing and feeding mangels to our goats and horses for thirty years and before that my husband grew them for sows. We grow a mangel called "Yellow Intermidiate" that originated in England. In Canada they used to be purchased through seed companies but no more. This type of mangel looks like a giant turnip and elongated. It can weigh from 7 lbs to 27 lbs. as some have here. We use it for winter feed along with hay as we don't buy livestock feed.

Mangels are bi-annuals. Plant the seed the first year and it will grow mangels. We store the mangels in a rock wall cellar where it is cool and doesn't freeze. We save several of the best mangels to re-plant in the spring. A few may rot but there is always enough. The tops will grow this second year and produce seed. We harvest the seed to plant another year. If the mangels were left in the ground in our damp climate the first year they would rot before spring. In the cellar they keep good.

Our animals usually have them eaten up by the end of January and sometimes they last them through February depending on how many goats we are feeding.

He doesn't chop or cut them up unless it is just in half so the goats don't fight over them. We found the animals are quite happy to gnaw and chew them and it keeps them occupied too.

When the mangels first start to grow and the tops are young and tender they are delicious and very mild to eat. I put them in salad as well as steam them like table beet greens. We plant heavy so have plenty of tender greens to eat when thining them out.

If anyone knows where this Yellow Intermediate seed variety can be purchased we would like to know?