We've been getting beets and chard in our CSA regularly. Usually I just sauté the chard or put it in a quiche, but I was interested in trying it raw in a salad. At first I used just chard, but I prefer the chard mixed with some other greens like arugula, spinach, and romaine. Roasted beets have been one of my new favorite things. I've had beets that were pickled and beets that have been marinated, and I think the roasted ones are my favorite way I've had them prepared so far.
Now that we've been getting our CSA for a few months I'm going to be doing a post about that more in depth, but I just had to say how wonderful it is meeting face to face with the people who grow your food. It's something I never experienced before. We do have local farms in the Matanuska Valley up in Alaska, though the growing season is shorter due to the harsh winters, but my family always just shopped at grocery stores. I didn't know what it meant to eat seasonally (when I started hearing about how everyone was excited for spring because it was Asparagus season, I was so confused!). Almost all of the produce in Alaska is imported from down south, especially in the winter, so the concept of a certain food having a harvest season never entered my mind. Other than the obvious exception of like, say, pumpkins for fall. We always ate wild Alaskan fish, and I understood the concept that fish had seasons, especially after commercial fishing for a couple summers, but for some reason the connection to seasonal plants wasn't made. My family had a little garden for a couple summers that I remember quite enjoying, but it wasn't a lifestyle we had. Now that we've been getting a CSA and growing our own food in our little garden, it's a new and interesting idea to eat seasonally!
Ingredients
Chard (plus other mixed greens such as Arugula and Romaine lettuce if you prefer)
Feta cheese
2 small/med roasted beets (for two servings, add more if you are making a family sized amount)
Sliced almonds
1/2 tomato, diced
Instructions
1. Prepare the beets by wrapping them in foil with a bit of canola or olive oil and roasting in a 350º oven for appx 1 hour, or until a fork easily slides into the beets. Once cooked, cool completely in the fridge.
2. While your beet is preparing you can get all your other fixin's ready. Chop the greens, dice the tomatoes and I think that this salad would also taste great with a red onion diced, and some radishes, either sliced raw, or roasted like the beets.
3. Once your beet is cooled, peel it and chop it up. Now you can mix everything together and enjoy! I drizzled some raspberry vinaigrette on top and paired it with a nice Sofia Rosé wine, mostly because I loved the color pairing of the beets and the Rosé color, but they actually went nicely together taste-wise as well!
