Sugar Snap Peas, Shelling Peas, Leaf Lettuce, Rainbow Chard, Green Onions, Zucchini or Patty Pans, Beets & Dill
Sugar Snap Peas: have juicy, edible pods that are filled with delicious baby peas. Cut off the stem and eat the whole thing pod and all. They are excellent raw, or lightly steamed.
Zucchini: Costata Romanesco is an Italian Heirloom zucchini with distinct green stripes. I grow it for its flavour and because it does not get large and woody like other zucchini varieties.
Patty Pans: a summer squash just like zucchini, they have a funny bowl shape and scalloped edges. Use just like zucchini, raw, or grilled on the BBQ.
Beets: are nutritional powerhouses. They are rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, carotene, Vitamin C, and B complex. Eat your beet greens; they are just as nutritious as the root.
Simple Roasted Beets
Beets are excellent roasted; either in the oven at 375 F or on the barbeque at high heat.
Method 1
Wrap the entire beet in foil and roast for 40 – 60 minutes, until a knife can be easily inserted. Let the beets cool slightly and then peel off the skin. You can eat them straight out of the foil, drizzled with bit of balsamic vinegar, or cool them completely to use on top of salads or any recipe calling for roasted beets.
* I just eat the skin, it is where half the nutrients in most veggies and fruit are found so why waste it.
Method 2
Peel the beets and chop them into chunks, whatever size you like. Toss with olive oil to coat, and dress with a few cranks from the salt and pepper grinder. Spread the beets on a roasting pan, cookie sheet, pie plate, whatever is going to fit into the oven with the rest of your dinner, and roast for 45 minutes until they are tender. I use this method most in the winter, when we are using the oven already, and I throw in carrots, parsnips and potatoes.
***Please remember to return your bag, we are running low***
The Best Boiled Beets
Cut off the beet tops, leaving 3 cm of stem attached to the beet and the beet root tail. Wash the beets thoroughly, and leave them whole. Cover beets with water in a pot with a lid. Bring the beets to a boil, and boil covered for 30 minutes to an hour, until the beets are tender when you pierce them with a knife.
*Leaving the root and stem attached while you boil the beet, helps keep nutrients from being lost to the cooking liquid.
**Cut the beet tops into thick ribbons, and blanch them in the leftover cooking liquid once you have removed the beets.
Kasha & Beet Salad
Vinaigrette
Juice of ½ a lemon
Zest of ½ a lemon, minced
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 garlic clove minced
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp minced fresh dill
¼ tsp cracked pepper
½ c sunflower oil
Mix the lemon zest, juice, vinegar, garlic and Dijon mustard and whisk to blend. While whisking slowly drizzle in the oil. Add 1 Tbsp dill and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Salad
1 c buckwheat groats
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
2 cups water
2 medium beets, roasted
½ lb beans, blanched
2 tsp sunflower seeds
2 hard cooked eggs for garnish
***I would use raw or blanched sugar snap peas or raw zucchini instead of the beans, which have just started to flower and won’t be ready for a few more weeks
Spread buckwheat groats in a single layer on a pan and roast in a 350F oven for five minutes, or until golden and fragrant. Remove from the oven and cool. Bring water to a boil in a small pot and stir in the roasted buckwheat, now called kasha, bay leaves and salt. Cover and reduce the heat to low for 15 minutes. Remove pot from the heat and leave it covered for an additional 5 minutes. Fluff kasha with a fork and cool to room temperature.
Peel and dice the roasted beets into 1 inch cubes. Toss with a small amount of the vinaigrette and set aside to marinate. Trim the ends of the blanched beans and slice each bean into three pieces on the bias. To assemble the salad, toss kasha and beans with enough vinaigrette to coat. Gently mix in the marinated beets, the remaining dill and toasted sunflower seeds. Turn into a serving dish and garnish with the sliced eggs and sprigs of fresh dill.
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