Turnips

What are those white root veggies in my box anyway? They're turnips, a member of the radish family. Thinly sliced and eaten raw, they have a strong peppery bite and are great in salads. Cooked, the flavor mellows and sweetens, with none of the peppery taste.

Turnips can be used in place of white potatoes in most recipes. They are fabulous in stews and soups, or mashed, like potatoes. Turnips freeze well without becoming mealy, like white potatoes can. Give them a try today. Yummy!

Beets

Roasted beets can be eaten warm, room-temperature or chilled; drizzled with balsamic vinegar and sea salt; or sliced or cubed into salads. This recipe includes an easy, clean way to roast beets. Enjoy!

Roasted Beet Salad With Bacon

A simple but tasty salad, for an everyday meal or special dinner. This is a great way to enjoy fresh beets.

Ingredients:
• 3 to 4 medium beets, with greens and stems
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or Canola oil
• 3 to 4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and drained
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• ***Dressing***
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• dash salt
• dash freshly ground black pepper


Preparation:
Cut stems and greens from the beet roots.
Chop the beet greens and stems and put in a colander; rinse thoroughly and set aside.
Heat oven to 400°.
Trim what's left of stem ends off beets and discard; trim root ends. Scrub beets well. Drizzle beets with 1 tablespoon olive oil and rub over the beets. Wrap each beet in foil, leaving just a little opening at the top of each package for steam to escape.
Place wrapped beets on a baking sheet and bake for about 1 hour, until beets are very tender.
When beets are cool enough to handle, rub skin off and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
Steam greens over simmering water or in microwave until just wilted; arrange on a serving dish. Top greens and stems with the diced beets, then sprinkle with chopped red onion and bacon.
In a small cup or bowl, whisk the red wine vinegar with 2 tablespoons olive oil, sugar, and salt and pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the salad.
Serves 4.

Spearmint

Refreshing iced tea, lamb dishes, Middle Eastern cooking, Mint Juleps and mojitos- just a few of the many foods and drinks that highlight spearmint. Try julienning a few leaves into a fresh tossed green, cucumber or fruit salad. Delish!

Spearmint is an antifungal and antioxidant, same as its mint family cousins. Easy to grow, it is invasive in the garden, spreading by both runners and roots. Planting in pots set into the ground help prevent root spread. Spearmint likes our springs and falls best and dies back some in the heat of mid July through August. It winters over well and begins pushing up shoots again in March. If you'd like to give spearmint a try, I have plenty to share. Just send me an email: laurie@theproducebox.com :)

Try some in this Greek yogurt dip:


Tzatziki

1- 32 oz tub plain yogurt
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
4-6 cucumbers (or 1-2 English), shredded and drained
1 Tbsp lemon juice
5-15 leave spearmint, minced (to taste)

Line a sieve with cheesecloth and set over a bowl. Pour yogurt into sieve; cover with plastic wrap and store in fridge overnight.

Discard liquid from yogurt. In a medium mixing bowl, gently combine drained yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, lemon juice and mint. Cover bowl and allow flavors to blend for several hours. Serve chilled.

Use as a condiment with grilled kabobs or as an appetizer, with crudite such as cherry tomatoes, baby carrots and pepper strips, plus toasted pita chips and/or wedges of fresh pita.

Quick tip: Shred cucumbers using a food processor and shredding wheel. Drain shredded cucumbers for about 10 minutes, in a colander set over a bowl. Discard liquid.