they taste like dirt (in a good way)

golden, chioga and red beets, chopped and ready

Vermont Life magazine has shown up in my mailbox every month for decades, way before we found our bit of earth. No matter where I was actually living at the time, the pages would transport me to the hills and valleys of my beloved state, and remind me of why I longed to live there "someday". Even now, as a part time Vermonter, the pages make me happy when my feet are not in the state. 

In the "cooking in season" section of this year's spring issue, Gretta and I were thrilled to find an article about BEETS. Adapted from chef Jeff Egan, kitchen manager for Hunger Mt. Co-op in Montpelier, this recipe for Roasted Beet and Wheat Berry Salad caught our attention.

I made a batch today, and the many different flavors and textures in this dish are sure to keep this salad on the favorites list in the Reed kitchen. There's a link to the recipe here. There's also a recipe for "Pretty in Pink Pancakes" that has me very intrigued.

Even as we get antsy to plant seeds in trays on the windowsills here, the sturdy and dependable root veggies help tide us over. Someday, when our root cellar in Vermont is fully functional and our road is so mired in Mud Season that we won't be able to navigate it, we'll try those Pretty in Pink Pancakes...with a glug or two of Vermont maple syrup poured over the top.