There’s comfort in the knowledge that every weekend, members of the Five Points Farmer’s Market CSA receive the same bag of food I do.

We go to the market, we pick out our locally grown produce, and then we get home, unpack it, and think, “Well now what?”

How I Spent My CSAcation is the answer to that question. As a community recipe collective, this column allows members of the Five Points CSA to swap recipes, answer questions, and generally indulge in communal culinary bliss.

I’ll highlight one CSA item a week, but readers should feel free to post recipes and ideas in the comments section for any of the foods received through the CSA. Let the cooking begin!

This Week’s Item:  Beets

Before today, I had never tasted a beet. I knew they were red, but I had no idea how they tasted, how to cook them, or whether the red juice would ever wash out of my cutting board or my hands.

Roast Beets Sweets

No longer a beet virgin, I found that this hearty root vegetable is sweet and pairs very well with sweet potatoes. My preferred style of cooking is to continually sing “We Got the Beet” and dance like one of the kids from The Peanuts.

Beets are a source of sugar and are available for most of the year, with their peak season running from summer through early winter. When selecting beets, check out the roots first: try to find a bunch where all of the roots are intact. Then look at the leaves: try to find ones that are small and in good shape, not yellowed or tattered. According to The Joy of Cooking, the leaves are an indication of freshness for the roots:  if they look moist and fresh, the roots will be too.

I found the recipe for Roasted Beets ‘n Sweets on Allrecipes.com:

Roasted Beets ‘n Sweets

6 medium beets, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces

2 ½ tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt (any salt will do – I used plain table salt.)

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces

1 large sweet onion, chopped (I used a yellow onion and it worked well.)

Preheat the oven to 400º Fahrenheit.

In a bowl, toss the beets in ½ tablespoon of olive oil, coating all the pieces. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet (a jelly roll pan works best because of its higher sides—they make stirring easier). Bake beets fifteen minutes.

While the beets are baking, put the sweet potatoes and onion in a gallon-sized plastic bag. Add the remaining two tablespoons of oil, plus the garlic powder, salt, pepper, and sugar. Shake the ingredients to coat the potatoes and onion.

When the beets have finished their fifteen minutes in the oven, remove the pan and add the contents of the plastic bag, stirring to mix. Arrange the vegetables into a single layer.

Bake forty-five minutes, stirring once twenty minutes in, until all vegetables are tender.

**

My roommate who doesn’t like vegetables had three helpings of the Roasted Beets ‘n Sweets. The seasoning was just right, not too salty, but not bland either. I was pleased to find that, in the duration of my handling the sweet potatoes, the red dye rubbed out of my hands, erasing the bright red stain I thought would still be with me tomorrow morning. Likewise, the juices washed out of my cutting board, my counter top, and my serving dish.

I wanted to make sure I used the whole beet, so I used The Joy of Cooking to research ways to cook the beet greens. Joy suggests cooking beet greens in the same way one cooks Swiss chard, the beet’s next of kin.

Beet Greens Sauteed with Garlic

1 bunch beet greens

1 clove garlic, minced

Dash of red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

1 lemon or 1-2 tablespoon of red wine vinegar

Beet Greens

Remove the leaves from the stems. Cut the stems into ½ -inch pieces. Coarsely chop the leaves; rinse well, but do not dry.

Heat oil, red pepper flakes, and garlic in a large skillet over medium-low heat until the oil smells good and the garlic just begins to color. Add the stems and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the stems are nearly tender, one to two minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the leaves and cook, partially covered, until both the leaves and the stems are tender, about three minutes. Season with the juice of ½ a lemon or 1 ½ tablespoon of vinegar. Taste again for salt.

* Note: I didn’t have lemon and forgot the vinegar, and the greens were fine without them, but definitely a sharp taste. I think the lemon might have cut the sharpness some, so I’d be interested to know if anyone tries it or has other suggestions for cooking the greens.*

Good luck with your CSA shipment this week. I’ve got broccoli, green beans, and apples still waiting for me to make something delicious. I’ll post any good recipes I find. Eat well, and take care.