Is Beet Juice The Future Of Icy Road Prevention In Maine?

I gotta say....I love pickled beets. Just this morning I was putting them on my salad for lunch, and probably cleaned out a quarter of the jar before I finally put them away. And as a former chef, I know there are a million delicious things you can do with beets. You can roast them, steam them, boil them... just about anything. Well apparently, you can also stop cars from sliding off the road with them.

Yeah, you read that right. They've been doing it in Canada for several years now, and up in Fort Kent, they're ready to start trying out the techniques of our neighbors to the north, according to the Bangor Daily News. The Fort Kent town council has been weighing the options, and  town manager Suzie Paradis intends to contact Edmundston Mayor Cyrille Simard to discuss the pros and cons of using the beet juice.

Winter weather being what it has been for the last several years, the town has seen an increased need for salt to de-ice the roads, and hope to possibly stretch out their existing supply with the red veggie additive.

In a related article in the BDN, there has been some discussion that beet juice may not work out well for Maine roads due to the cost. Since beets are primarily grown in the midwest, manufacturing and shipping the beet solution is just too costly. On the other hand, so is having to increase the amount of salt that needs to purchased every year.

It's still up for debate as to whether beet juice will work long-term here in Maine. And likely, all eyes are on Fort Kent to see how their pilot program works out. In the meantime though, if you want some sweet, delicious beet juice, you're still gonna need to make a quick run to Hannie's, bub.