THE MAINE MARKET BASKET

 A weekly news service for promoting 

 Maine's healthy, local and seasonal

 foods.

Featured crop: Beet Greens

With their edible tops and bottoms, beets are the gift that keeps giving.  In the spring, local farmers thin their rows by harvesting the tender leafy greens of certain plants, leaving others to mature into deep red bulbs. Last year, Maine farmers grew roughly 500,000 pounds of beets for local and regional markets. 

Beet greens are a very generous gift from a health standpoint.  In fact, they represent the most nutritious part of the plant with their leaves packing a rich load of vitamin A, calcium, iron, and folate. 

While versatile to grow and healthy to eat, beet greens win most people over with their mild flavor which goes well in spring salads, pasta dishes and stir-frys.

  (high definition copyright-free photo available here)        

Shopping info:

Fresh local beet greens can be easily found at Maine farmers' markets and farmstands.  Don't be afraid to ask the farmer or vendor when the greens were harvested -- leaves should be a crisp green and not a wilted yellow or brown.

While it is best to use beet greens immediately after purchase, they may be kept for 3-5 days in your refrigerator's crisper.  To maintain "just-picked" freshness, try wrapping them in damp paper towels and placing them in a plastic bag.

Cooking info:

Wash the greens well in several changes of water or until no sand or grit appears at the bottom of your sink. Young, tender greens need no slicing or chopping and can be sautéed whole or eaten raw in a salad.

To prepare older, tougher greens, tear or cut the green part from the coarse stem.  Once you have removed the stems, you may chop the greens easily by stacking 3 or 4 similarly sized leaves on top of each other and rolling them up like a cigar.  Slice across with a sharp kitchen knife. 

Beet greens leaves take 3-6 minutes to cook depending on their size and can be steamed, sautéed, or stir-fried. 

Featured Recipe:

Spicy Greens with Onion and Garlic

This is a delicious way to serve greens, whether beet, kale, collard, or chard.
 

Ingredients:
1 pound beet greens, chopped
1 strip of thick cut bacon, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup of water
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
3 tablespoons of vinegar, white or cider
 

Directions:
Clean and drain greens, removing any heavy stems. Tear or chop leaves into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
In a 3 qt saucepan, cook bacon until lightly browned. If not using bacon, add a tablespoon of butter or vegetable oil.  Add onions, cook over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions soften and start to brown. Stir in garlic. Add water to the hot pan, stirring to loosen any particles from bottom of pan. Stir in sugar and optional red pepper. Continue cooking until mixture boils. Add greens, reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Stir in vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4.

Did you know?

Beets are among the sweetest of vegetables, containing more sugar even than carrots or sweet corn.

Beets' red color is stable in acidic conditions and is used as a natural colorant for pink lemonade.

Swiss chard is a member of the beet family which has been bred to produce large leafy greens without forming a bulbous root.

From the middle ages, beets - also known as "blood turnips" - became used as a treatment for a variety of medical conditions, especially illnesses relating to digestion and the blood.

What else is in season?

Seasonal availability of produce in Maine varies from week to week and from one farm or farmers' market to the next. Beet greens are available in Maine from late May through September. 

The following items are also considered widely available statewide as of this date: asparagus, radish, salad greens, rhubarb, spinach, and scallions.

For more info on the seasonal availability of Maine produce, see the chart posted here.

Where to buy fresh, Maine-grown foods in your area:

       Find farmers markets in your area here

         Find farmstands in your area here

        Find CSA farms in your area here

     Find local "pick-your-own" farms here

For more info about the availability of Maine food and farm products, please see: http://www.getrealmaine.com

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About the Maine Market Basket:

The Maine Market Basket is a service of the Maine Nutrition Network and the Marketing Department of the Maine Department of Agriculture and paid for with funds from the US Department of Agriculture.  Coordinating partners include  the Eat Local Foods Coalition of Maine and the Fairfield Farmers' Market.  Texts and/or images from this bulletin may be reproduced.   For more info contact Roger Doiron: 883-5341 or e-mail marketbasket@eatmainefoods.org