Beets and Chard, Chard and Beets

This is the time of year when I get to talk about the relationship between beets and chard. Beets and chard are close relatives because chard is essentially a vegetable cultivated from the beet. You can think of it as a beet but with much more developed leaves and no bulbous growth underground (usually--once a mutant beet grew and surprised us in the chard bed). Beet greens  and chard leaves can be cooked together or both eaten raw. Like the skin on the beet itself, raw leaves in this family can be a little astringent. This quality is only bothered by some and can be avoided by cooking. To cook your baby beets, boil for around 25 minutes or until easily poked with a fork. Then cool and rub the skins off.  Don't worry, the color will come off your hands eventually. 

Baby Beets are like candy.

2 worker shareholders and 5 grinning staff members
put in loooonnnng hours out here.
We are grateful for their smiles and hard work!

Chard-a-rific.

Chard's long, thick stalks have wide, glossy green leaves that may be smooth or curly, depending on the variety. The stalk comes in many colors, from white to green to brilliant red, yellow, and pink. Not only is chard giving, it's forgiving too. It's much more heat-resistant than spinach, grows well under most weather and soil conditions, and is relatively disease resistant and bug resistant too. After harvesting, the inner leaves come back quickly, so you'll see chard from early June clear through Thanksgiving. 
Chard is as close to perfect as a vegetable can get--a low-calorie, high-nutrition green with a mildly sweet, clean taste. It's also a fast food. Tender young chard leaves can be eaten raw, adding a beet-like flavor to salads and sandwiches. Larger stalks and leaves can be blanched in boiling water, or sauteed up in a matter of minutes, quick and easy. Then toss the cooked chard into pasta with olive oil and garlic, add to omelets and frittatas, or use instead of spinach in your favorite recipe.

Remember even more ideas can be found on our Recipe page.  

Just click on whatever vegetable you need!

http://www.peasantsplot.com/recipe_misc.html

STORING BEETS:  Separate the roots from the greens.  You can save the greens to cook with (like chard) in a plastic bag.  For the beets themselves, once again turn to the plastic bag method, sealing the bag with a twist.  

STORING OUR BUNCHED GREENS LIKE CHARD:  Throw all greens into a reusable bag (can be the same bag) and in the crisper drawer in the fridge.  Avoid the back of the fridge because it can sometimes be too cold.

STORING RADISHES: Separate the roots from the greens.  You can save the greens to cook with in a plastic bag.  For the bright pink radishes themselves, once again turn to the plastic bag method (you can reuse bags specifically for this veggie storing purpose), sealing the bag with a twist.  OR Another method that is easy and encourages more snacking is this:  Wash the radishes, chop to whatever size you like for snacking, and then place in a dish with water and right into the fridge.  

STORING OUR SALAD GREENS:  Store in your crisper drawer with the bag slightly open.   the back of the fridge because it can sometimes be too cold.  Regulating moisture:  In the day(s) after harvest, the moisture from our initial washing will leave the bag. As you notice the greens losing this moisture, roll the bag down to seal it.  

Wash? Even though we do wash your mixed greens, we still recommend cleaning the leaves again before eating raw.  You can choose to do that immediately when you get home or you can wash them in small batches as you need them for salads.  Some people like to wash and then store their greens in their salad spinner.  If you don’t have a handy salad spinner of your own, you can simply lay the leaves on clean towels to absorb excess moisture from washing.  Do not let them completely dry out.  

STORING FRESH GARLIC:  The easiest thing is to keep it on the countertop with lots of air around it (not in the fruit bowl) and eat within a week for the juiciest experience.  It will continue to dry or "cure" until the flavors condense and the outer layers dry out, making it easier to peel.  Garlic will keep in this way for weeks and often months!