These beet tattoos are a fun activity we learned from Melanie Potock, a speech and language pathologist specializing in picky eating. Melanie is also the author of Adventures in Veggieland. She says the “tattoos” will wash off with soap and water, but you can also try rubbing a piece of raw potato over the tattoo under running water to “magically” erase the marks.

Making beet tattoos is not only a fun activity, but also one that can help kids get comfortable with a new food. Letting kids play with food, without pressure to taste it, can make the food more familiar. Over time, repeated exposure can lead to smelling, licking, and eventually tasting!

To make beet tattoos:

1. Rinse the beets to remove any dirt.
2. Cut beets in half crosswise (around the equator). Leave roots and stems attached for easy holding.
3. Place the beets cut-side-down in boiling water for 4-5 minutes, just until the bottoms are fork-tender. Cool until they can be easily handled.
4. Push a simple cookie cutter shape into the cut sides of the beets. Stars or hearts work well.
5. Remove the cookie cutter. Use a small paring knife to remove the excess beet around the imprint of the shape. Now you have a beet stamp in your desired shape!
6. Lick the stamp, then press the beets onto clean skin and hold for a few seconds. Remove and let dry. The imprint will darken slightly as it dries, in a minute or two.
7. Now you have a pink “tattoo!”