Lately I’ve found a whole new appreciation for roasted beets. They are really good and subtly sweet, which covers up the earthy flavor I often associate with beets.

I got some large beets from Ollin Farms in my CSA, smiled, and decided they were perfect for roasting. To roast beets- wash them well, drizzle a little olive oil on top, put them in an oven safe dish or wrap them in foil, and bake at 375 for 30-60 minutes, depending on the size of the beets. Mine here took a full hour.

When cool enough to touch, remove the skin. It should peel off very easily. I sliced my beets and served them with fresh raspberries, chives, and a little champagne vinegar.

Enjoy.

What a fantastic day! First, my friend gives me a beautiful bowl that she made.

Then, I bought raspberries from Ollin Farms. They look gorgeous in my new bowl. I snapped a quick photo because I have been shoveling them into my mouth. I have no self control around freshly picked raspberries.

Well, Ollin Farms never disappoints! They have crabapples, which I find pretty cool. I picked some up at the market and headed over to my friend Chad at Hazel Dell and asked for mushrooms for a crabapple sauté.

Chad recommended a 1/2 pound mixed bag of small cremini and shiitake mushrooms. Chad knows best…

I got them home and had a plan: Tempeh burgers topped with a crabapple mushroom sauce. Perfect.

I got started on my tempeh burgers and made them according to my recipe. Then, I assembled the crabapple mushroom sauce.

First I sauteed 1/2 of a local sweet yellow onion in 1 TB olive oil and 1 TB butter until they started to turn golden brown.

Next, I added the mushrooms, which I had sliced, and let them start to cook on medium-high for 10 minutes or so in the butter-olive oil mixture until they were nice and soft. I added a little sea salt, tossed them a bit, and added 3 crabapples, chopped into small chunks.

After adding the crabapples, lower the heat to medium. The apples will start to release juice and make a crabapple-mushroom gravy-sauce.

I made some quick vegetarian maple beer baked beans, grilled a zucchini and yellow squash, grilled some tempeh burgers, and topped them with shaved parmesan and my crabapple-mushroom sauce.

Delicious.

This week’s share doesn’t really seem like a challenge. Zucchini, Squash, Red Norland Potatoes, Bok Choy, Hakurei Turnips, Onions, Swiss Chard, Lacinto Kale, and Cucumbers.

I can and will find something to do with all of this.