I’m Gonna Need Some Beet Recipes

When we first moved up here, Drew was telling me about Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs). The idea sounded very cool, but it was far too late in the season to join one at that point. The following spring/summer was a little crazy — Drew’s grandmother wasn’t doing well and I was pregnant, and we probably didn’t even think about it. We spent the next two summers trying to sell the house, so we didn’t want to commit to anything. Last summer I waited eagerly for my friend Dara to snap photos of her weekly farm share. And then I realized that Margie also was in a CSA and I looked forward to checking her haul as well. I started to seriously investigate local farms, seeing as how the real estate market was just slumping further and further into oblivion.

One of the farms had e-mailed me in December letting me know they were taking members for the 2008 season, but we were afraid to jump on it because… well, what if? There was still this slight chance our house would sell (ridiculous optimistics that we tend to be). So we waited. And here we are. January. Not selling the house. No one is ill. I’m not pregnant. This morning I e-mailed the two farms to see if shares were still available and I was thrilled this afternoon to hear back from Sisters Hill Farm! They still have openings! So we’re printing and mailing our application post-haste. I spent some time looking at their blog posts from last year and I am just so excited to be part of that this year. The produce looks amazing, the flowers are gorgeous, and everyone there really seems to love it. Plus, on a culinary level, I’m looking forward to the challenge of cooking with ingredients I probably wouldn’t buy in the grocery store, such as bok choy (which I love, but have never prepared). Here is a sample harvest schedule. Beets will be my biggest challenge. I don’t really like beets. Neither does Drew. But there’s got to be at least one way to prepare them that we will find enjoyable. And I’m going to find it!

9 comments

  1. jesser says:

    I’m way jealous. That was one of the only things I liked about living in WI … the amazing fresh produce we had access to!! Here in CO we have some great produce as well, but it’s all on the western slope (i.e. about a 4 hour drive).

    Well enjoy the yummy farmy goodness… I’ll have to live vicariously through you. 🙂

  2. flygrrl says:

    Awesome! We are trying to join our local CSA this year too. We picked up for an out-of-town friend for three weeks last year, and it was fantastic. You could do pickled beets, and I found a beet green recipe that had lots of garlic… and something else but I now don’t remember what, but it was actually quite good. But I like beets. Happy veggies!

  3. Dana says:

    So jealous ~ we don’t have anything like that!! My husband though is saying we’re having a garden this year. I am crossing my fingers we do!

  4. Dara says:

    I really love beets! I have a good borscht recipe, and a nice marinated beets & onions recipe that’s great as a side dish for a barbecue. When you’re ready, I’ll give them to you!

  5. Lisanne says:

    I seriously cannot believe that you blogged about CSAs! What timing … just the other day (on Friday, I think), a lady in our town sent out a mass e-mail asking whether anyone would be interested in sharing a spot with her for this year (Monkshood Nursery ~ right down the road from us!). I am *so* freaking excited. Jeff keeps saying, “But will it be less expensive than buying all of that produce in the grocery store?” Oh, seriously ~ I think that it will. It’s $250 (normally $450, but we are splitting it in half ~ sharing) for 23 weeks of produce. That’s awesome, in my opinion. I’m going to blog about it soon!

  6. Christina says:

    Add me to the jealous list! I love shopping the farmer’s market here in Arlington, though, so I do get my fresh farm veggies. I wish I had more freezer/pantry space so I could preserve the fresh goodies for the winter months.

    I love beets! Ben hates beets (more than he hates peas and broccoli, amazing). Thus I rarely get to eat beets. My new cookbook “Everyday Food Fast” has some great looking recipes for beet salads that I want to try someday. Guess I’ll wait until Ben goes out of town.

  7. Carrie says:

    I detest beets. However, last night Eric (who can’t stand me hating any vegetable) prepared golden beets for me for the first time. He roasted them, and then he diced them and did something to them involving butter and garam masala. It was edible; I could pretend they were potatoes, and that made them sort of enjoyable. 🙂

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