Ah, the whirlwind that is having B and the kids here for 48 hours. My heart is so full, my days are so busy, and then SO quickly the weekend is over, and the house is eerily quiet and empty. I almost always cry when they leave, and today I was way more sad than usual. But, I allowed myself to feel sorry for 15 minutes, and then decided I’ve gotta keep it moving. Obla-di obla-da life goes on. I can be a debbie downer or I can try to enjoy the last few hours of the weekend. Enjoyment always wins.

I have looked into joining a CSA (community supported agriculture- more info on them here) for the past few years, but I’ve never made the leap for one reason or another. This is the time of year where they’re beginning to transition to the summer/fall share, (YAY!) so I had begun looking into them again when — like she had read my mind– a former coworker and neighbor of mine messaged me to let me know they were going out of town for two weeks, and would we like their share of the CSA for the week? UH– yes please!!

In this week’s share, we got :

• 2 dozen cage free eggs
• a TON of beets
• bok choy
• baby spring mix
• red potatoes
• yakon (had never even heard of this before)
• purple sweet potatoes
• SO many carrots
• yellow onions
• and lettuce!
• SO healthy and SO much produce.

So, what am I going to do with all these beets? I like beets, I eat them in restaurants but I’m not sure if I’ve ever bought them from the grocery store. I think that would be the coolest part of belonging to a CSA- it forces you to try things that you might not otherwise.

Aside from being super yummy, beets are also really good for you. They can lower blood pressure, boost stamina, fight inflammation, and have anti cancer properties!

So without further ado…

Roasted Beets with Balsamic and Rosemary

• 2 pounds beets, cut ends off and peel
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp rosemary, chopped
• 1 tsp EVOO
  •  (I have a bottle of olive oil infused with balsamic, so I used 2 tsp of that )
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Cut stems and peel, work quickly or your hands will stain.
3. Slice beets into even pieces and place in a bowl
4. Destem and rough chop rosemary
5. Add oil, vinegar and chopped rosemary, toss to combine. (wash hands!)
6. Place on foiled baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes or so or until tender.  (I found that this actually took about 35 minutes in my oven)

 

We served this with sliced flat iron steak , arugula salad and mashed potatoes. It was a GREAT side dish and the kids were forced to try a new veggie, mwahaha.

All in all, the produce was awesome, and picking up from the CSA was a really cool experience. Everyone was super friendly, and I feel good because I’m both supporting local farmers, and getting lots of fresh, organic produce. I’m so glad we got to give it a try, risk free. I am going to shop around and see if this is the best value for the money..we are fortunate enough to have a bunch of CSA options in the area. I’m sure I’ll post in the future if we decide to join one.

Happy Sunday, guys. I hope this week treats you well.

Mangia!

Xo,

J