Beet Greens Beet Salad

I received a question from a CSA member this week about what to do with the various greens atop the various root vegetables you received this week. She also asked me for “my” beet salad recipe, which I am embarrassed to admit is really pretty much everyone’s beet salad recipe and not all that interesting. But in an attempt to get members – or anyone really – to participate in the blog, I’ll answer both questions here.

But first, a plea: send in your ideas for using our basket of vegetables. Ask other people to send in their ideas on how to use our basket of vegetables. Send people from other CSAs to our blog so we can get their ideas (and you can make them jealous with what a cool and caring CSA you belong to – one that is working so hard to see that you use every item to its utmost).

I especially need your help because, though I love to cook and love to try new recipes, at the time we are harvesting these vegetables, I am so busy, and we work so late into the evening (to avoid the 2 million degree heat during the day that I am avoiding right now) that most of the recipes I use sound like the ones below: “Just cook it in some bacon-fat and you’ve got a meal.” Let me know what those of you who have air-conditioning and the occasional summer evening free to cook are doing!

That said, the answer to the question is: Yes you can use beet greens and cook them like you would turnip greens or any of the other tougher greens (kale, collards, older spinach). If you are feeling healthy, cook them in some chicken broth for a really long time. If not, go with the old standby – chicken broth with bacon for a really long time. Or steam them in a little chicken broth (or just water), drain, chop, and sauté in bacon fat rendered when you cook up some bacon pieces. When they are done, sprinkle the bacon pieces back on. For a really nice pairing, throw in some blue cheese crumbles at the last minute (right before the bacon, so they melt a little, but not much). Yum.

As for carrot greens, I’ve never cooked them. Some claim you can; others claim they’re toxic – I’m waiting until the jury gets back in on that one.

And finally the beet salad, which is pictured above on the left in the medley of salads (spinach and filet bean salads being the other two). Twist off the beet greens (they will bleed less if you twist, not chop, them off, though they will still bleed some and stain the white shirt you accidently wore). Boil the beets (or roast them, but you’ll have to look up how to do this yourself) until fork tender (I find beets take about the same amount of time a potato takes to get to fork tender, and that obviously depends on size). Drain and cool (if you are in a hurry, you can run cool water on them to cool them). When you can handle them, slip the skinss off (another prime opportunity to stain hands and clothes) and trim the top and bottom. Cut into a large dice, or if they are small enough, as the ones in the picture are, leave them whole. Dress lightly with your favorite balsamic vinegar recipe – or use 1 part olive oil, 1 part walnut or other nut oil, one part balsamic vinegar, on part soy sauce. Plate atop a bed of salad greens (since you have them anyway) if you want, or leave just beet. Sprinkle with walnut halves and blue cheese crumbles.