Several months ago, I let my Full Circle produce delivery subscription lapse. As convenient as it is to have a box of produce delivered to one’s doorstep, for a variety of I-can’t-quite-explain reasons it began to feel like a burden. Well, maybe I can explain: My schedule was so unpredictably crazy, and that craziness was layered on top of a general jam-packedness (not sure if that’s a word, but I guess it is now). There were some Wednesdays (delivery day), where the thought of having ONE MORE THING to deal with nearly sent me over the edge. So there you have it.
For a while, I was happy with my decision. But, eventually, I started to miss my weekly box. That longing increased as spring turned to summer, and local produce was starting to make it’s seasonal inroads. I had thoughts of getting to my nearest farmers market every week, but it’s just out-of-the-way enough to assure that weekly trips would not be possible.
So Full Circle it was, and I was once again giddy at the thought of what Wednesday morning would bring. As you can see from the photo, it brought a lot of greens. Collard greens, red kale, escarole, dandelion greens and two bunches of beets (red and golden), each with their beautiful green leaves attached.
Along for the ride were carrots (with carrot tops for the chickens!), a cucumber, green zucchini, and a variety of stone fruit (cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots).
When I got home from a sports nutrition lecture last night, I knew my game plan: 
  • I immediately turned on the oven to 425 F, chopped up the broccoli and carrots into manageable pieces, tossed them with olive oil and a little salt, dumped them onto a baking sheet and shoved them in the oven. 
  • Next, I washed the beet greens and collard greens (the latter torn into pieces), stuck them in a big pot with a little extra water, popped on the lid and started to steamed them over medium-high heat.
  • While that was underway, I took the now greenless beets, sealed them up well in packets of aluminum foil with a bit of water in the bottom, and stuck them in the oven to start roasting.
  • I gave the roasting broccoli and carrots a stir, then checked on the greens. They were softening and the volume had decreased significantly, so I removed the lid, added a small dollop of maple syrup, a squeeze of Sriracha hot sauce, a sprinkling of granulated garlic, and a bit of salt. I moved the mixture around with tongs until it had wilted further and the water was mostly evaporated.
  • By the time the greens were done, so were the broccoli and carrots (even if that hadn’t happened, it’s no bother to remove the roasting pan and let it sit on the counter for a bit, or to shove the pan of greens off the heat and put the lid back on). We had picked up salmon burgers and shrimp skewers from Whole Foods (on sale), so that took care of protein and healthy fats.

And that’s dinner!

When the beets were done, I let them cool a bit before peeling them, slicing off their tops & tails and refrigerating them. They’ll be a great addition to salads over the next few days. I love roasted beets!