Beets

• 6 medium beets (2 bunches, or about 3-1/2 pounds), peeled and chopped into 1 ½” chunks
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup inexpensive balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Toss chopped beets with olive oil and salt and put on baking sheet (lined with foil or parchment paper if desired). Roast at 400 for 45 to 60 minutes, turning once midway through, until the beets are tender when pierced. Meanwhile, combine the vinegar and maple syrup in a small, shallow skillet. Cook over medium heat until the liquid is just slightly thickened and lightly coats the back of a metal spoon. It should be reduced by about half (or to about 3 tablespoons). Pay close attention and be sure not to over-reduce it; it goes from sweet and syrupy to burnt and hard very quickly. Toss the glaze with the roasted beets. Serve hot or cold.
 

Beets, washed

Put beets in pot large enough to cover with water.  Bring to boil.  Simmer until knife easily pierces through the beets.  Drain.  Let cool until not too hot to handle.  Literally slip the skins off of each beet.  To store: put in sealed container in fridge.

Options for what to do with these gems:
1.  Cold beet salad:  Chill beets.  Cube.  Top with vinaigrette dressing.  Add optional goat cheese, other cheese, nuts, red onion, herbs, etc.

2.  Breakfast hash:  Chill beets.  Cube.  Sauté thinly sliced onions until tender.  Add beets and sauté until browning and warmed through.  Add optional leftover beef roast, bacon, fried egg, etc.

3.  Simple warm beets:  Slice while warm, add butter, salt, pepper.

As indicated below there are unlimited variations to this recipe.  Most recently we've been using beets and feta cheese with occassional chopped pecans.  Give it a try!

Beets, whole
scallions (or onion), minced
nuts or seeds of choice, chopped
grated or chopped cheese, optional
fresh herb, chopped, optional
oil and vinegar dressing
salt and pepper to taste

Boil beets whole until knife pierces through easily.  Drain, cool, slip skins off.  Refrigerate until ready to make salad (optional).  Chop beets and combine with scallions and optional ingredients.  Pour over dressing of 4 TBLS oil and 1 TBLS vinegar.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve or refrigerate.

1bunch beets, cooked and chopped
1-2 medium cucumbers, peeled and chopped
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
¼ cup basil, minced

Combine above ingredients.

Dressing:
Whisk together below ingredients and pour over salad:

4 TBLS olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon Juice
2 teaspoons vinegar (cider or red wine)
salt and pepper to taste

• ¾ cup carrots, peeled and grated
• 1 ½ cups beets, peeled and grated
• 1 cup potatoes, peeled and grated
• ¼ cup flour
• 1-2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cooking oil
• Feta cheese, sour cream, yogurt to top, optional

Preheat oven to 450 and put in two baking sheets. Combine carrot, beet, and potato. Squeeze out and discard as much juice as possible using cheesecloth or a towel. Mix veggies with flour, egg, garlic, cumin and salt and pepper. Drop spoonfuls onto greased baking sheets and press down into patties, trying to keep edges smooth without stray bits sticking out to burn. Bake, turning once, for 25 mins. Serve with optional topping.

¼ cup chopped nuts of choice
2-3 oz cheese, cut into ½” cubes or grated
1 bunch kale, midribs removed, thinly sliced
1 bunch beet roots, boiled or roasted & chopped
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1-2 tsp vinegar (balsamic or cider)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together lemon juice, vinegar, oil, honey, salt and pepper. ‘Massage’ kale leaves with dressing. Let sit 10 minutes. Mix in remaining ingredients and serve.

*Optional: add steamed beet greens to the salad.

A hash can be made with many kinds of veggies and here's one version that is delicous with eggs for breakfast.  Feel free to substitute here for other veggies if you don't have these.

1 pound beets, peeled and cut into a 1/2 inch dice
3/4 pound potatoes, cut into a 1/2 inch dice
2-3 tablespoons oil
1 small onion, diced
salt and pepper
red chili flakes

Boil beets and potatoes until tender.  Drain well.  Heat skillet add oil and onion.  Add potatoes and beets.  Sautee stirring  until onions turn translucent and the potatoes turn golden, about 5-10 minutes.  Serve hot with eggs.  Leftovers can be reheated easily, too.

Availability: July

Storage tips: Refrigerate in a plastic bag. Beet Greens should last at least a week.

How to eat: Beet greens are the baby beet plants before they mature to full sized roots and are eaten whole: root, stem and leaf. They need to be washed very thoroughly as they harbor small bits of grit in and around the baby roots. Beet greens are best steamed in a very little amount of water or in a steamer basket. Steam them whole or chopped for 5-10 minutes until tender. Top with butter, salt, pepper, and a splash of vinegar.

How to preserve:  Blanche and freeze is the best way to preserve these greens.

This is a delicious recipe that you can alter to your liking based on what proportions of the ingredients you add.  Go wild!

½ to ¾ cup walnuts, toasted
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 cup leftover cooked beets, chopped
1 tablespoon tahini or other nut butter of choice
1-2 cloves garlic, minced (or to taste)
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (or to taste)
Olive oil, salt and pepper (or to taste)

Blend nuts in food processor to a fine crumble.  Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until a smooth paste.  Taste and add more of any of the ingredients as needed.  Serve cold as a spread or dip and store in the refrigerator.

3 pounds beets

For the dressing:
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon honey (or to taste)
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt

For the garnish:
fresh herbs like mint, cilantro, dill, etc.

Trim and wash beets, and leave whole if quite small (1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter) or peel and coarsely chopped if larger.  Spread on a cookie sheet, toss with olive oil and roast in a 400 degree oven for 1 hour or until tender.  Cool beets, remove skins, and chop into bite sized pieces if roasted whole.  Combine dressing ingredients and pour over cool beets.  Toss well to coat.  Serve immediately or chill to marinate and serve later.  Top with fresh mint upon serving.  Beautiful and delicious!

One of our favorite ways to use beets during the hot summer months is to make a cold salad with them.

1 bunch beet roots, chopped into bite-size pieces
1-2 tbls of minced onion (or green onion tops)
2-3 oz chevre (soft goat cheese), plain or herbed
2 tbls minced walnuts
2-3 tbls olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbls minced fresh herbs (chives, dill, parsley, etc.), optional

Boil beets until tender. Drain and cool. Put in a bowl and mix in onion, chevre, and walnuts. In a small bowl or jar mix together olive oil, vinegar and optional herbs. Pour this over your beet mixture and serve cold.

1 bunch beets (roots only), about 3/4 to 1 pound
3 tbls butter
3 cups water
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbls chives, chopped (optional)
Sour cream

Chop beets into 1/2” cubes. Heat butter over medium-low heat in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add beets and sauté gently for 30 minutes or until tender. Add water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes. Puree, either with a handheld blender, or by allowing it to cool slightly before pureeing in a blender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with optional chives and a dollop of sour cream. Serves 2-4.

This recipe is adaptable to how much time you have.  I had roasted a whole bunch of garlic and had it in the fridge so I used roasted garlic and boiled beets.  You could also roast the beets and the garlic together until tender, probably about 1 hour, before proceeding with the recipe.  It'll be tasty no matter how you make it!

2 pounds beets, cooked and skins removed (either roasted or peeled, chopped and boiled)
4 (or more) garlic cloves, (preferably roasted, but raw is fine, too)
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
sour cream
fresh dill, minced (optional)

Puree a little bit of broth with the beets, garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme together until smooth.  Add more broth to get the right thickness and heat until hot.  Combine the horseradish with sour cream to taste.  Serve soup hot in bowls with dollops of the horseradish sour cream on top.  Garnish with the optional fresh dill.

¾ cup pureed beets (roots peeled, chopped, boiled, drained & pureed)
¼ cup applesauce
3 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon oil
Butter, salt and pepper to taste
*Optional toppings: Sweet: maple syrup & whipped cream; Savory: goat cheese or feta cheese or sour cream with parsley

Combine beets, applesauce, and eggs and season with salt and pepper to make batter.  Heat oil in skillet, and fry spoonfuls of the batter on both sides.  Top with butter and optional toppings.

Beets and Sausage Mash

1 pound beets or 1 bunch beets (greens removed), chopped
4 TBSP cooking oil
1 pound natural spiced sausage
salt and pepper

Boil beets until tender.  Drain and mash.  Heat oil in skillet and cook sausage until cooked through.  Add beets, stir to thoroughly mix, season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.  Makes 4-6 main dish servings. 

Our friend Billi at the Orono Farmers Market says she makes this dish when she's the featured chef at "Taste of the Market" at various farmers markets around Maine and it is always a huge hit with everyone!

This is our absolute favorite way to have beets.  Gene says that he doesn't believe anyone that says they don't like beets until they've tried this recipe:

3-4 medium beets, sliced into thin rounds
2 medium onions, sliced into thin rounds
4 TBSP cooking oil
salt and pepper

Heat cooking oil in a heavy bottomed skillet on medium heat.  Add sliced beets and onions and saute for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.  Turn the heat to medium-low, cover skillet and cook for 30-45 minutes until caramelized, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.  Season and serve hot.  Makes 4 accompaniment servings.

• 1.5 pound beets, peeled, quartered and thinly sliced
• ½ cup red onion, chopped
• 1 TBLS fresh basil or 1 tsp dried, optional
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup freshly squeeze orange juice
• Salt to taste

Put all ingredients into sauce pan except orange juice. Bring to a boil and simmer until beets are very tender, about 30 minutes. Cool and puree. Add the orange juice. Add salt to taste (or omit). Chill before serving.

Freezes well.

CSA member Debby shares this recipe and says it is fast, good tasting (all that sugar) and doesn't heat up the kitchen.  Perfect for summer beets!

• 1 bunch of beets
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup onion, sliced
• 1 1/2. cup vinegar
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 - 6 whole allspice berries
• 3/4 cup water

Boil your beets whole until just tender.  Peel and slice. Bring vinegar, sugar, spices, and water to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved.  Add beets & onions to liquid and bring back to boil. Pour into jars.  Put on lid.  Let cool. Refigerate and eat.

• 2 cups peeled and grated carrots
• 1 cup peeled and grated beets (Golden or red is fine, though golden is preferred)
• 1 cup peeled and grated Daikon radish
• 1.5 TBLS apple cider vinegar
• 3 TBLS olive oil
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp honey
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ½ tsp ground coriander

Whisk ACV, olive oil, mustard, honey, salt, pepper, and coriander together and pour over veggies. Mix to coat and serve.

Here's a great recipe for cold soup from our friend and CSA member Sherry.  Delish and extremely beautiful color!!

4 medium-sized fresh cooked beets, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 cup chicken broth (or water)
2 cups sour cream
1/2 large cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon honey
1 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
garnish with chopped fresh chives, if desired

Puree in blender beets, cucumber, chicken broth (or water).  Whisk in sour cream, honey and dill.  Chill at least 2 hours.  Sprinkle with garnish.

• 1.5 lbs beets, peeled and chopped
• 1 lb. carrots, peeled and chopped
• 3-4 cups broth
• Salt, pepper, and cayenne, to taste
• Fresh or dried dill, optional
• 2+ cloves garlic, minced
• Sour cream or yogurt, optional

Combine beets, carrots, garlic, and broth in a pot. Heat to boil, reduce to simmer, and cook until vegetables are very tender. Add remaining ingredients except sour cream and blend. Thin with more broth if desired. Serve warm or cold. Top each bowl with sour cream.

1-1.5 cups beets, peeled and sliced very thinly
¼ cup cabbage (red or green is okay), shredded
¼ cup onion or leek, sliced very thinly
¼ tsp rosemary (or other dried herb of choice)
2 tsp salt
1 cup water

Combine beets, cabbage, onion or leek, and rosemary.  Toss well.  Stuff into a pint jar leaving about 1 inch of head room.  Combine salt and water and mix until dissolved.  Pour over veggies until covered.  Do not fill it all the way to the top with liquid.  Cap.  Leave at room temperature to ferment for at least 5 days.  Release pressure from lid daily and check taste for progress.  Refrigerate when you like it!

• 1 lb beets, cut in 1/2” cubes, roasted, and completely cooled
• 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
• ½ cup walnuts
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 TBLS lemon juice
• Salt to taste

Add all ingredients except oil to food processor and pulse to blend. With food processor running slowly add the olive oil until fully combined. 

Carrots, peeled and chopped into small pieces
Beets, peeled and chopped into small pieces
Kohlrabi, peeled and chopped into small pieces (optional)
Olive oil to coat liberally
salt, pepper, and optional herb of choice (we used thyme)

Toss all of the ingredients together and spread onto baking sheet in a more or less single layer.  Roast at 400, stirring a couple of times to prevent sticking, until tender and very sweet.  Serve hot and leftovers also good reheated with eggs for breakfast!  Enjoy!

4 cups raw beets, grated
2 tbls butter
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbls flour
½ cup water

Heat the butter in a pan, add beets, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cook, covered, over very low heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Now sift flour on top of beets. Do not stir. Recover and cook for 15 more minutes. Stir, add water, bring to a boil and serve. The tanginess of the lemon juice in this recipe pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the beets.
 

• 2 TBLS olive oil
• 2 TBLS red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 lb. beets, peeled & grated or spiralized
• 2 green onions, minced
• ½ cup walnuts or nut of choice, chopped
• Feta cheese, crumbled, to taste
• Basil, chopped, to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic and whisk to emulsify. Combine other ingredients. Toss with dressing. Season with salt and pepper. Serve right away or store in fridge for 1-2 days

• 2 lbs. mixed root veggies (beets, carrots, and parsnips), peeled and cut into sticks the size of index fingers
• 3 TBLS olive oil
• Salt, to taste
• 1 TBLS Dijon mustard
• 1 TBLS vinegar (white-wine or cider)
• Honey, to taste
• Cayenne pepper, to taste

Drizzle veggies with 1 TBLS olive oil and salt on baking sheet and roast at 375 for 1-1.5 hrs or until tender. Meanwhile mix together dressing of 2 TBLS olive oil, mustard, vinegar, honey and cayenne until emulsified. Smash veggies with bottom of skillet and then add dressing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This is a tasty and easy dish that uses local ingredients that can be found most of the year.  Delicious way to dress up leftover roasted or boiled beets!

2 cups cooked beets, peeled and chopped
2 cups raw apples, peeled and chopped
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
4+ pats of butter
dash of nutmeg, to taste

Grease a baking dish and combine all ingredients into it.  Cook at 350 degrees for one hour and serve hot.

This recipe makes approximately 6 patties using a wide mouth jar ring as a form.  Double it to make a dozen.  You can also substitute for the listed nuts with other coarsly ground nuts if they are hard to find.  You can freeze these cooked and reheat for later meals.

1 cup each of grated beets and grated carrots
½ cup each of unsalted sunflower seeds and sesame seeds
¼ cup each of flour, grated cheese, and grated onion
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 egg, beaten
minced garlic to taste, optional

Combine all ingredients and mix well.  Form into patties directly on oiled cookie sheet using a removable form or free form them with your hand.  Using a canning jar lid to press them into patties worked well for me.  Bake at 350* until done through, 30-45 minutes.  Serve hot topped with butter, mayo, sour cream, or whatever you choose.

• 1-2 cups Greek yogurt
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2+ cups carrots, peeled and grated
• 2+ cups beets, peeled and grated
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
• 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons honey
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• ¼ teaspoon coriander
• ¼-1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Stir garlic into yogurt and let stand. Whisk together olive oil, zest, lemon juice, vinegar, honey, salt, pepper, and coriander. Pour half of dressing over carrots and beets, mix, and let stand 5 min. Spread yogurt on serving platter. Top with carrot/beets, drizzle remaining dressing, and sprinkle with pecans. 

Borscht is basically beef, beets, vegetables and broth.  If you don't have some of these veggies you can substitute with others.  Cabbage is also good in this as well.  You can get creative with whatever you have!

1 lb. boneless beef, cut into 1 inch pieces
3-4 tbls cooking oil
1 large or 2 medium leeks (or onions), trimmed, washed, sliced
2 garlic cloves
1 cinnamon stick
¼ tsp allspice
1 16oz can tomatoes
¾ lb. beets, peeled and julienned or shredded
7-8 cups broth or water
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 medium, or 3 small rutabagas (or potatoes or parsnips or a combo), peeled and chopped
Splash of vinegar

Heat oil in saucepot until hot.  Brown beef in batches and transfer to bowl.  Add additional oil and sauté leeks over medium heat for about 10 min, stirring.  Add garlic, cinnamon, and allspice and stir for 30 seconds.  Then add tomatoes with their juices, breaking up tomatoes with your spoon.  Return beef to pot.  Add beets, water/broth, bay leaf and salt and pepper.  Heat to boil then cover and simmer until beef is mostly tender (1-3 hours).  Stir in carrots and rutabaga and return to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer again until all is tender (1/2-1 hour).  Stir in vinegar at the end and check seasonings.  Top each bowl with optional sour cream. Serves 4-6.