CAN YOU BEET IT?

Cromwell Farm has Technicolor beets this week! Choose fresh-dug red, white, or golden beets, with the bonus of bright leafy beet greens, a two-for-one vegetable. Beet greens are easy to sauté and pack a wallop of nutritional punch with high iron, magnesium, and calcium, along with all the other vitamin-rich benefits of leafy greens. If you haven’t tried them, June is the perfect time.

Cromwell will also showcase lettuce, kale, and assorted summer squashes. Last call for May peas and white sweet potatoes!

Virginia Beach History Museums offers a special activity for the kids this Saturday: make-and-take Colonial fans. Have fun while learning about the time before Air Conditioning.

And if you are thinking about a new pet, K-9 New Life Rescue is bringing adoptable dogs.

And the beet goes on at Old Beach.

NOTE NEW MARKET TIME:  8:00 to noon

RECIPE

BUTTERED BEETS

 What makes beets even better? Butter! And a few other complimentary flavors, like orange and thyme. Enjoy these ethereal earthy eats in my recipe here:

Preheat the oven to 375F. Trim and peel 1-2 pounds of small, whole beets and place on a tinfoil-lined baking sheet and toss with olive oil to coat. Cut an orange into thin slices and place on top of beets. Cover the beets with another sheet of tinfoil and crimp the edges of both pieces to seal.

Roast the beets for 25 minutes then check for doneness by inserting the tip of a knife into a beet; it should easily slip in. Roast longer if needed, checking for doneness every 10 minutes.

Remove the beets from the oven and transfer to a serving platter; dot with butter and add the zest of one orange and sprigs of fresh thyme. Sprinkle on sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

–    Chef Patrick Evans-Hylton

author of Dishing Up Virginia

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