“The beet is the murderer returned to the scene of the crime. The beet is what happens when the cherry finishes with the carrot. The beet is the ancient ancestor of the autumn moon, bearded, buried, all but fossilized; the dark green sails of the grounded moon-boat stitched with veins of primordial plasma; the kite string that once connected the moon to the Earth now a muddy whisker drilling desperately for rubies.” Tom Robbins
Hard to believe it is almost mid-June. Finally summer and heat to go with it!
Farm News: Our old friend Freddie (I call him Freddie) is back. It helps for me to name things I’m a little afraid of. However, I like snakes better than mice, so….
He/She (Freddie works for both) greets me when I go to get eggs. I leave the ones in the box with him/her until later. Can’t bring myself to get to close. But usually in an hour or two – the coast is clear. So – our egg supply is a little low. Thanks to Michael and Broadfork Meadows Farm for providing a few eggs as back up until Freddie gets full.
Other Farm News: We are trying to provide the Chattanooga Foodbank with some desperately needed fresh produce. I take my leftovers from the week every Thursday, or Friday. Tired produce that did not sell at the Farmer’s Market. But we have loads of extra greens that CSA members are tired of and will bolt to seed in this heat. SO….
I am telling you about the link to our online store on our home page for 2 reasons. 1. CSA members can shop and have items delivered at 10% discount AND 2. Anyone who wants to make a donation to help the Circle S Farm crew pick and deliver produce to the Food bank can make a contribution. Only if you can and want to – a lot of us have uncertainty right now. If you donate $50 you will get your own receipt which you can use for your taxes. Sorry – I tried to make it where you could click on it from here. Go to the Circlesfarm.net/home and click shop now.
What’s in the Bucket: Beet the heat with Beets, romaine lettuce, green leaf lettuce, arugula, broccoli, Napa cabbage and snow peas.
Following a recipe for beet hummus from halfbaked harvest. I like this one because it uses the greens to make beet pesto.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 whole small or 1 large red or yellow beets
- 4 cloves whole of garlic omit if not preferred
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas drained + rinsed*
- 1/4 cup tahini sesame seed paste
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar optional
- 1/3 cup olive oil + more for drizzling
- salt and pepper to taste
- toasted sesame seeds + toasted pine nuts + fresh dill for topping
BEET GREEN PESTO
- 1 1/2 cups raw beet greens finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons parmesan or nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt + pepper to taste
- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
INSTRUCTIONS
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Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Wrap the beets and garlic cloves (if using) in a piece of tin foil. Place the beets on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until soft. Allow the beets to cool and then peel/rub the skin away. Remove the skins of the garlic cloves.
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To the bowl of a food processor, add the chickpeas, tahini, almond butter, miso paste, crushed red pepper flakes and lemon juice. Puree the mixture until smooth, scraping down the sides if necessary. Add 1/3 cup water and puree until smooth. Add the roasted beets and garlic. If using, stream in the balsamic vinegar. With the machine running stream in the olive oil until smooth and creamy. I like to let my machine run a good 5 minutes (scraping down the sides once or twice) to ensure a really smooth and creamy hummus. If the hummus is too thick for your liking, thin with water or extra olive oil, adding about 1 tablespoon at a time until your desired consistency is reached. Taste and season as desired with salt + pepper. To serve, top the hummus with pesto (recipe below). Sprinkle with toasted seeds and dill. Drizzle with olive oil. The hummus will keep for 1 week, covered in the fridge.
BEET GREEN PESTO
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Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Taste and adjust salt + pepper to your liking.
Enjoy.
Thanks for buying local produce from Circle S Farm