in the bleak midwinter... and still eating local!

During my first Roseboom winters, I was pretty excited to have a freezer full of pesto. These days there is a lot more going on…

ruby kraut, burbling

ruby kraut, sharing a plate with potatoes and kale

butternut bisque, topped with "russian relish"

Are you wondering if every meal is going to include beets? Here’s what happened: During the last week of harvest my neighbor, who is a real farmer, called to me from his field of beets (which is, in my book, a very close relative to a field of dreams). Anyway, he had more than he could deal with, so he invited me to pull as many as I could handle. I took 20 pounds. I should mention that I had already put up a large haul of beets, pickling them with coriander, black pepper and ginger. But what’s a few more?

Of all the preparations, Russian relish is my favorite. At Thanksgiving, the cranberry bowl stayed full while everyone dove into this. It is a sweet not salty preparation that includes diced beets, cabbages, onions and horseradish. Since I don’t own a food processor, it was easily the most labor-intensive preparation of the summer… but I would do it again.

The ruby kraut is a simple lacto-fermented mix, with 2/3 shredded beets and 1/3 cabbage.

Not pictured, but also delicious, are maple-pickled beets and onions, spiced with ginger and cardamom.

"hank's x-tra special" shell beans, with kale and garlic

And here is a meal without beets.

breakfast potatoes, with homemade spicy ketchup

And another.

the stuff of soup

soup with toasted cornbread

peanut-butternut stew, with sriracha and arugula

garbanzo crepe, with yogurt, russian relish and bitter greens

goat cheese, with spicy greens and olive oil

pesto rice, with a side of pickled beets

Lots of new entries in my winter pantry, but pesto is always welcome!

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