In this week’s share:

• Green Crisp Lettuce
• Fennel
• Carrots
• Chioggia beets
• Peppers
• Green Beans
• Keuka Gold Potatoes
• Garlic
• Sweet Dumpling Squash
• Broccoli

This preparation of Chioggia beets was nothing special, but colors just looked so vibrant that I had to post these photos.

After scrubbing the beets and tossing them with a little olive oil, I put them in a baking pan, covered them with foil, and roasted them for about 45 minutes at 400°F.

While they were roasting, I rinsed the beet greens, removed their center ribs, and chopped them into rough pieces. I sautéed them in olive oil with garlic and a little salt, then added a couple spoonfuls of water and covered the sauté pan to steam the greens through for a bit, turning down the heat to low. It only took a few minutes for them to be cooked through.

When the beets had finished roasting, I let them cool for 15 minutes, then carefully slid off their skins (with the help of a paper towel). The beets were sliced, tossed with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and ready to eat.

If you’re not a fan of the characteristic earthy taste of beets, you’ll find the Chioggia variety much easier on your taste buds. Not only do these have a milder flavor, they’re also sweeter than the average beet. They don’t “bleed” nearly as much when cut. Plus, their concentric red and white rings make for great eye candy.

In this week’s share:

• Thyme
• Red Beets or Chioggia Beets (not sure which variety we have yet)
• Long Green Peppers
• Green Bell Pepper
• Green Beans (these are actually handpicked, and the difference is noticeable!)
• Sweet Potatoes
• Zucchini
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Green Kale
• Broccoli

In this week’s share:

• red onions
• green peppers – long and bell varieties
• zucchini
• parsley
• beets
• Swiss chard
• purple potatoes
• tomato (a surprise!)

I’m excited about the purple potatoes, those tuberous amethyst beauties.

What’s less exciting is getting beets – again. Really, now, a girl can only do so much with beets before she grows tired of them!

Cherry Pepper had been hoping to make this with her beets, but didn’t get around to it (yet!). I was fortunate enough to have a little more time in the kitchen, however, and was glad I did. Roasting beets – something I’d never done before – maintains their firm texture while increasing their sweetness and taking the edge off their earthiness. This was an immediate win for both Habanero and me, especially since we’d only had beets in the pan-fried rosti form before.

Tender, caramelized strips of spring onion (or scallions) gave these beets some much-needed character, as did a final application of Parmesan cheese. (The original recipe calls for blue cheese, but as I didn’t have any, I substituted with Parmesan. I also substituted olive oil for the walnut oil. I was not about to go out and buy a whole bottle of some condiment that would most likely go rancid before I used it again.)

Baby Beets with Spring Onions

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp walnut oil (I substituted with olive oil)
3 Tbsp olive oil, separated
12 to 16 assorted variety of baby beets with greens attached
3 sprigs fresh thyme
6 medium spring onions, cleaned; stems trimmed to 2 inches
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp (1 ounce) blue cheese, crumbled (I substituted with Parmesan cheese, shaved)

Whisk together balsamic vinegar, walnut oil, and 1 tablespoon olive oil to make vinaigrette.  Set aside.

Heat oven to 400°.  Remove leafy greens from tops of beets; reserve greens and discard stems.  Rinse greens thoroughly, and refrigerate.  Pare away tough skin at top of beets.  With a firm-bristle vegetable brush or the back of a paring knife, scrub beets clean under cold running water.  Place beets in a small roasting pan.  Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the thyme.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add enough water to just cover the bottom, and cover tightly.  Cook 20 minutes, remove lid, and continue cooking until beets are tender to the tip of a sharp knife, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Slice the onions in quarters lengthwise.  In a large sauté pan over medium-low heat, add remaining tabelspoon olive oil and onions, and sauté 5 to 7 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium high, and continue cooking until caramelized, about 5 minutes.  Transfer the onions to a bowl, and set aside.

Remove beet greens from refrigerator.  Using the same pan as the onions, sauté greens over medium-high heat until just wilted, about 2 minutes.  Transfer immediately to serving plate.  Place onions over greens. Trim “tails” from beets, and slice larger ones in half.  Arrange over wilted greens with onions.  Drizzle vinaigrette over beets and greens.  Sprinkle with blue cheese.  Serve immediately.