How to grow and prepare beets

Beet Salad

2 medium beets or 1 large beet per person
6 cups baby salad greens
1 (8-ounce) container Feta cheese
Orange juice and zest

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Clean the beets and spray them with cooking spray. Wrap in foil. Place in an ovenproof dish and bake beets for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the size. When beets are done or tender, remove from the oven to cool. The peel should slip right off, but if not, then use a knife to peel. Cut each beet into 4 wedges, but don’t cut all the way through so that it will stand on the plate.

Prepare 4 salad plates with 1-1/2 cups baby greens per plate. Place a beet (or two) on each plate in the center of the greens. Crumble feta cheese and distribute among the four plates. Drizzle the beets lightly with orange juice, and then drizzle with raspberry vinaigrette. Zest some orange over the top of each plate. Serves 4.

Raspberry Vinaigrette

1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam or preserves
4 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
4 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Country Dijon mustard
1/4 cup vegetable oil

In a small bowl, mix the preserves, vinegars, and mustard. Slowly drizzle the oil into the dressing while whisking. Store any unused vinaigrette in the fridge.

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Linda Weiss and Anne Moore, who blog at Diggin' It about food and gardening (click here to read their previous posts), are friends who met while Linda was the food editor and Anne was the garden editor for South Carolina Homes & Gardens magazine. They now write articles for the ETV GardenSMART television show website, where Anne is the horticulture editor, gardening consultant, and e-newsletter editor. Anne has written for magazines and newspapers. She is a member of and a recipient of a Silver Award for magazine writing from the Garden Writers Association. Linda is a personal chef. She attended Le Cordon Bleu of Paris’ catering program. She has appeared as a guest chef on numerous television shows, has been a culinary educator for 10 years, and a food writer for a number of magazines. She is a professional member of The James Beard Foundation and the Southern Foodways Alliance. She has written a cookbook, "Memories From Home, Cooking with Family and Friends."

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