You just can’t beat the beets this year. Gorgeous. Candy sweet, jewel tones. Both bulb and green leaves shockingly good for you. They will be around for a while, but the fresher, the sweeter, so delicious, you can eat them raw. Use all manner of beets in this salad. It will keep several days in the refrigerator (actually taste better as the flavors marry). Tote it to a picnic, take it to the lake.

Gorgeous Raw Beet Salad
Serves 4
Make this when those magenta, golden and verigated beets are just in, candy sweet and brilliant.
1 pound beets
1 large shallot
2 tablespoons cider or sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, or to taste
1 to 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1 – 2 teaspoons extra virgin, walnut or hazelnut oil
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1 tablespoon minced rosemary or tarragon to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Peel the beets and shallot. Shred the with a food processor or by hand. Turn into a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar and mustard, then whisk in the oil. Toss with the beets then toss in the fresh herbs and season with slat and pepper.

Loon Organics Beet Salad
Serves 4 to 6
“The variations on this are endless. Add dried cranberries, toasted almonds, candied walnuts, or any artisan cheese, ” says Adam Cullip of Loon Organics who shared this recipe with me at Mill City Market.
8 ounces baby spinach or a large head of romaine or butter lettuce, rinsed and dried
Handful of fresh herbs (parsley, basil, thyme)
2 bunches greentop beets
2 carrots, shredded
4 ounces blue cheese or feta
Raspberry Vinaigrette
5 tablespoons walnut, hazelnut or olive oil
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar or white wine vinegar
1/2 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
1 large shallot
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Trim the beet ends and tops. Reserve the green tops for the salad. Thinly slice the beets and steam until soft, about 15 minutes.
New Potato and Arugula Salad
Serves 4 to 6
This quick and simple potato salad relies on small, waxy potatoes (fingerling, Yukon gold, Yellow Finn) tossed with bright, peppery arugula. Because it doesn’t rely on mayonnaise, it’s perfect for toting to spring picnics and potlucks.
1-1/2 pounds fingerling (or small waxy potatoes), washed
3 tablespoons cider vinegar, or more to taste
1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
2 big shallots, thinly sliced
2 bunches arugula, washed and dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and over with cold salted water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Drain, toss with the vinegar immediately. Slice about 1/2-inch thick. Turn into a large bowl. Toss in the remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper.

Packed with peppery punch, radishes are rolling in to the farmers markets in ruby waves. Man are they zesty. Try them thinly sliced on open sandwiches of pumpernickel with sweet (Hope) butter sprinkled with a little sea salt. Pan roast them with a knob of butter until just tender, hit them with shaved Parm and snack on them with a bubbly watching the sun go down. They’re not here long and like the garnet rhubarb also shown here, they won’t be quite so tiny or subtle as they are now. They’ll get even zestier as it gets hotter.

Speaking of rhubarb, if you can still find it. Try making a salad dressing by stewing chunks of rhubarb in just enough water to cover and using that as the base in lieu of vinegar. Strain off 1/3 cup of the rhubarb juice and whisk in just a touch of sugar, 2/3 cup of oil (extra virgin olive or a nice nut oil) and salt and pepper. Toss with baby spinach and sliced (local) strawberries and a little feta for a quick spring salad.

Pepper packed, punchy, tiny radishes smack back at spring. There’s nothing delicate in these tiny tight orbs. They’re tough, fighting through the last crusty snows, standing up to the pounding rain. Baby it’s cold out there, but the radish, red and hearty pops through it all. Hell this is Minnesota and we’re all tough, right?

The best thing about radishes? You don’t have to do much (in fact, don’t do anything to them). They’re great dipped in salt and washed down with beer. OK, go ahead, slice and load them on dark pumpernickle spread with a little sweet butter and sprinkled with coarse salt for a lovely snack. Or, better yet, mince them with the same-said butter (in equal parts) for radish butter to spread on dark bread, or crackers. Sprinkle with a little grated Parmesan. Then open the beer.

Payday at Farmers Markets this weekend;tables topped with sacks of cash — spinach. Talk about putting money in your mouth. New as spring, fresh as morning, this stuff sings with flavor, fills you with vigor, and needs little more than a drizzle of olive oil, a splash of vinegar, salt & cracked pepper, those tiny local strawberries, crumbled feta to make a meal. Don’t forget the crusty bread.

Spinach Salad with Strawberries & Hazelnuts
Serves 6
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup hazelnuts
6 ounces fresh spinach
1 cup sliced strawberries
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Vinaigrette
1/4 cup raspberry vinegar
1 shallot, chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup hazelnut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch of sugar, or to taste

Put the onion slices in a bowl and cover with ice water and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F. Spread the nuts out on a baking sheet and toast until the skins begin to darken and crack, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and wrap the still-warm nuts in a clean kitchen towel, and rub between the palms to remove the skins. Chop and set aside.
To make the vinaigrette, in a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, shallot and mustard. Whisk in the oil and sugar.
Drain the onion slices. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and onion and toss with enough dressing to evenly coat. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the hazelnuts and feta over the salad and serve.

It’s time to get those potatoes in, and the carrots and the beans and just about anything you want to get going in your garden. Most garden centers sell seed potatoes, and often CSA’s will include them in their share (you did sigh up for a CSA share, right?). It just takes one or two very fresh potatoes from your own garden to convince you that all potatoes are not alike. Forget the dusty brown orbs sold in plastic bags in most grocery stores. Freshly dug potatoes (especially the heirloom varieties) are slightly nutty, creamy, and their flavors are distinct. Plant them now and they’ll be ready around July, just right for potato salad season.

To plant them, create “hills” by loosening the soil and putting two or three potato eyes on the ground. Cover or “hill” three to four inches of the soil on top of the seed; space the center of the hills about a foot a part. Water well. It’s a good idea to fertilize every 2 weeks or so (low Nitrogrogen / high Phosphorus. After a few weeks, dig down very carefully among the roots to see if potatoes have developed tubers large enough to harvest. Be careful not to cut the main root from the plant to the new potato. If so, just dig them out being careful not to slice into them while harvesting.

When they’re ready, scrub, douse with butter and salt and enjoy!

Spring is galloping to summer and its earlier and tastier than ever. Already, the lettuce and herbs are on their way. You’ve signed up for your CSA share (right?). If not, hurry-up. There are still a few spots left in many of the farms around. Take a look at the list available through the Land Stewardship Project — www.landstewardshipproject.org/csa.html or call 612-722-6377. You’ll find a farm that delivers a weeks worth of field fresh food (and in some cases, eggs, milk, cheese, meat, bread, honey, maple syrup) to a convenient location.

But all this is making me hungry …. so check out this recipe for Maple Hazelnut Vinaigrette using a fresh batch of local maple syrup.

Maple-hazelnut Vinegrette
Makes 1-1/4
The rich distinctive flavor of a good nut oil marries beautifully with this vinaigrette. Toss it on tart greens and finish with toasted nuts.

1/3 cup maple syrup
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 small shallot
2/3 cup hazelnut oil*
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Process the syrup, vinegar and shallot in a blender then add the oil in a slow steady stream. Season to taste.

Hungry for spring and greens and all the glorious bright fresh stuff? No need to wait for summer’s basil. Pound together some pesto NOW. The term pesto refers to any fresh herb based sauce. Just about any flavorful green is up for grabs, watercress, parsley, cilantro, mint, alone or in combination. It’s easy to do. Begin by taking a handful fresh herbs, good oil (extra-virgin olive oil, hazelnut oil, walnut oil or sesame oil), and nuts for texture (pine nuts, cashews, pecans, walnuts) and garlic. Using a mortar and pestle, pound the herbs, nuts and garlic together adding the oil in a slow steady stream. Grate in a little sharp cheese if you like. You can also do this in the food processor, but pounding by hand releases all the wonderful herbal aromas and gives the sauce some texture. Then just cover it with plastic and store in the fridge. Spread on sandwiches, toss with pasta, swirl into soup or top off burgers, chicken and steak.

For the most up-to-date information about your food, food-safety, organics, and the importance of sustainable agriculture, chec, out the National Organic Coalition — www.nationalorganiccoalition.org

TODAY!

STOP GENETICALLY ENTINEERED ALFAFA

Download a copy of the National Organic Action Plan.

Organic in the 2008 Farm Bill

Organic Certification Cost Share Funds Announcement

NOC Recommendations for the Obama Administration

STOP GENETICALLY ENGINEERED ALFALFA!
►More Than 200,000 Call for USDA to Prohibit GE Alfalfa
See Press Release
►NOC sends Letter to USDA with more than 300 signed-on
See Letter
► Call your Senator or Representative Today!

*NOC Gives Thumbs Up to “Access to Pasture” Rule!*

FOOD SAFETY ACTION ALERT!
Call your Senator about the “Growing Safe Food Act” today.

Download a copy of the National Organic Action Plan

Climate Change

Food Safety

About the National Organic Coalition

The National Organic Coalition (NOC) is a national alliance of organizations working to provide a “Washington voice” for farmers, ranchers, environmentalists, consumers and progressive industry members involved in organic agriculture.

NOC seeks to work cooperatively with, and add value to, existing organic and sustainable agriculture organizations, networks and coalitions to ensure a united voice for organic integrity.

Cake with the hole in the middle; the one baked in that fluted tube-shaped pan. The pan was created so to help the uber rich buttery cake rise evenly, not sink in the middle under it’s own weight (as it did when cooked in a round or square cake pan). The word “bundt” evolved from the German bundkuchen, to bundt. But it took the Pillsbury bake-off winner of the 1966 to make it a household name and the movie, My Big Fat Green Wedding, to award it symbol of Wasp suburbia.

But all you really need to know is that this is one kick-ass rich mother of a cake. It’s great for breakfast; terrific with afternoon tea. After that, douse it with brandy and see your guests glow. (Oh, and leftovers are amazing toasted.)

Streusel
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup four
1/2 stick butter, softened

Cake
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder

To make the streusel, cut all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl to make a crumble mixture.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar then beat in the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Sift together the dry ingredients and stir into the batter, mixing until smooth. Pour half of the batter into a lightly buttered and floured 10-inch bundt pan and sprinkle with half of the streusel. Pour the rest of the batter over the streusel and sprinkle wit the remaining mixture. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven about 55 minutes to an hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes up clean. Allow the cake to cook slightly before serving.

The weather is frightful, but baby, cold as it is, the St. Paul Farmers Market is the hottest place in town. Come Saturday mornings, it’s an all out happening, even in sub-zero temps. Conversations heat up over how best to cook free range chicken (braised and low and slow) and when the duck eggs will come in. (Yes, duck eggs … they’re remarkable … big, luminous and very “eggy” tasting.) And, when your teeth start to chatter, head in to Golden’s Deli, where the cheese, chocolate, apple and assorted farmers and small food producers sell amazing stuff. I am hooked on Martha’s Joy Pickles (jars of Brussels sprouts, asparagus, beans … you name it, she pickles it) — her range of varieties and vegetables, sweet and hot and sour is astonishing … Find Shepherd’s Way cheeses and the best damn lamb sausages … raw cider … Love Tree farmstead cheeses …. who says you can’t eat local in the middle of February around here? Swing through and buy something from everyone the enjoy through the week and when you get home, cook up that chicken Here’s how:

Braised Chicken with Mushrooms and Onions
Serves 4 to 6
Braising is a terrific technique for this time of year. More forgiving than roasting and less prep than a stew, is easy, reliable and fills the kitchen with great smells. It requires a few simple steps that can be applied to most slow cooking cuts of meat. Here, dark meat chicken legs and thighs are browned with mushrooms and onions, then simmered on the stove. Just be sure to brown the meat and the vegetables well before adding the liquid (wine, stock, even water will do). The flavor resides in these dark nubs on the bottom of the pan. Like stews, braised food often tastes better the next day after the flavors have married. This dish is great over cooked rice, noodles or mashed potatoes.

3 pounds chicken leg and thigh pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, or more as needed
10 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 cup red or white wine
1 cup low-sodium cup chicken stock, or more as needed
3 sprigs fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Rinse the chicken pieces and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a skillet large enough to hold all of the chicken pieces in a single layer, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the chicken, skin side down. Cook until the skin forms a golden crust, about 5 minutes. Turn the pieces and cook the other side until the skin forms a golden crust, another 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Add the onion and mushrooms to the skillet along with a little more butter if needed and sauté over medium heat for a minute, then cover the pan to wilt the onions and release some of the mushroom juices, about 3 minutes. Remove the lid and continue cooking, stirring often, until the onions are golden and the mushrooms are dark brown, and the pan is dry, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the wine and scrape up the dark bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan and add the stock, rosemary and parsley. Partially cover the pan and simmer, turning the chicken occasionally, until it feels tender when prodded with a fork and the meat easily comes off the bone, 45 to 50 minutes. Serve over rice, noodles or mashed potatoes with vegetables and juices, garnished with more chopped parsley as desired.