Beets. Fresh. Small. Dirty. Clean. Cooking.

Beets. We love beets. The kids love them too. Their flavor is so
earthy and sweet. These are homegrown (Can I get a big Jeff
Foxworthy-inspired, Duhh?) . Summer was rough in the plains this
year, you may have heard. There just wasn't enough water. And I
wasn't interested in spending $300/month watering my garden. This is
the result. Beets picked after an entire season. We did pull a few out
earlier this season that were somehow larger - but not many. Hoping
for a more robust crop next year. In all their smallness and pain in
the lower back-ness, they remain one of the most delicious vegees.
ever. And the juice will more than likely be found on our porch next
week ... very red. Perfect.

food coma after dinner with friends

dinner's done, I'm in a food coma. Butternut squash soup topped with
oven-roasted fennel bulb and toasted pecans, salad from the garden
with sorrel, arugula, tomatoes, cucumbers, pears, toasted fresh fennel
seeds, beet greens, carrot greens, a little sage, a little oregano &
green pear for crunch - dressed with cara-cara orange juice+zest,
basil seeds, honey, brown sugar, a little balsamic, a little rice
vinegar, salt, pepper ... microwaved then grilled quartered red
potatoes, and fab lemon and garlic stuffed roasted chicken. Tim
brought some of that killer rustic bread of his and awesome choco chip
cookies. YUM. To my delight, all of the kids but one asked for MORE
(drum roll please) SALAD! I didn't make an abundance of it, thinking
the kids wouldn't care for the bitterness of the arugula (I didn't use
any greens other than sorrel and arugula, pretty peppery for kiddos!)
Hooray! (ages: 3, 5, 6, and 9) Only one of the 5 yos didn't ask for
more!

sadly I did not take a picture. We were all so busy enjoying each
others' company and eating ... that the camera did not come out once.
Good times. Good friends. YYS food!