Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Red Menace



          It took 46 years of marriage, but the day has finally come.
My husband, the man who had never seen an artichoke till I married him, and who learned to eat asparagus and rutabaga with a smile, is facing his Waterloo. Over the years, he’s pulled up his chair to the table willing to try anything. In fact, his first meal at my house when we were dating was buffalo (My father was on a buffalo kick that year and the Safeway was running a special.) His acquiescence back then, though, was the 1969 equivalent of dragging back a saber-toothed tiger to prove his worthiness.

I’ve been able to talk him into anything (food-related, at least) except beets. He’s been such a paragon of culinary adventure I never pushed the whole beet thing. I knew how lucky a food lover like me is to have not drawn a meat and potatoes guy in the lottery of matrimony.

So guess what was in this week’s farm share? Yep.


1 head of lettuce                       I head of escarole

radishes                                    scallions

baby peas                                  and BEETS

    
      FYI – if you’ve never eaten a pea straight from the pod, you haven’t lived a full life. Somehow they’re buttery and sweet; I think I’ll only allow them to dip their little green toes in a saucepan for a few seconds.




          And bless his heart, my husband not only asked me how I planned to cook the dreaded beets, he said he’d try them. 

P.S. - I'm still not coping very well with those garlic scapes. 

16 comments:

  1. He's a keeper, all right! Let me know how you decide to fix those beets. I love them in any form :-)

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  2. Looks like a yummy haul, well...except for the beets. :)

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  3. You are one fortunate woman. I married a meat and potatoes man. No variation.

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  4. That's so funny. Since day one, my husband has said he will eat anything except beets and turnip greens. Those peas look delicious! Catching up, congratulations to your son and his bride. I loved their picture.

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  5. Thanks, H.P. We're THRILLED. She's a really terrific girl.

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  6. Lucky you. Picky eaters can bring you down and stifle you in the kitchen. Think you have a keeper. Let us know how the beets went and how you fixed them. They are a favorite of mine.

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  7. My husband who will pretty nearly eat anything will not eat beets. I love them and sometimes have them in a salad.

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  8. Tom Robbins, in at least one of his 70's era fictions, "Jitterbug Perfume", had beets as a prominent fixture, and a portent of things to come. I may be losing my mind, have my three children cautioned me against talking with people, but this sounds suspiciously like more than a coincident.
    Cheers,
    Mike

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  9. I love fresh beets. I also love borscht which is made from beets.

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  10. I had to google escarole and now know it is a type of endive, so thanks for expanding my culinary vocabulary.
    I don't like beets, I don't care how they're prepared or served. I have occasionally eaten them shredded in a store bought bag of salad.
    My dad used to mention borscht when I was very young and when I asked what it was, he said blood soup. I later learned it was beet soup, but what he'd said stayed with me forever.

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  11. Mmmmm.
    And I envy you someone who will try food. There are a LOT of vegies which do not pass my partner's lips.

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  12. I only eat them when others prepare them for beets I find hard to deal with as a cook. I agree fresh peas are delicious. The guys ay my house eat all types of veggies. I have only ever come across one meat and potato guy who after a terribble fight with cancer now eats all sorts of veggies.

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  13. Oh gosh, beets are so delicious, and there is nothing better than getting them straight from the farm or a farmer's market. We cut off the leaves, leaving a little stem, then scrub them clean, toss them with olive oil, salt & pepper then wrap them in foil and bake them. Depends on the size how long to bake, but between 20 and 45 minutes. Yummy!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Lynne. BIG help - I hadn't yet figured out quite what I was going to do.

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  14. Congrats! :-) I love beets. Love them. :-)

    Greetings from London.

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  15. Sounds good, eggmom! Wasn't sure if they'd be tough if I roasted them.

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