Ingredient Profiles

How simple and frugal a thing is happiness: a glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a wretched little brazier, the sound of the sea. --Zorba the Greek Foodstuff: Chestnuts Etymology: From chesten (Old English) to chesten nut (Middle English) Area of Origin: Asia Minor, modern day Turkey Description We may be able to eat strawberries and asparagus in December, but they will always be a pale shadow of their spring and summertime selves. Thankfully, eating seasonally doesn't have to be about deprivation -- instead, savor the winter delicacies that are not only at their peak, but are also perfectly suited to cold weather, hearty appetites and holiday leisure. Tightly encased in layers of thorns and shiny, hard shells, chestnuts do not make for instant satisfaction; but the reward is well worth the effort. After all, chestnuts are not only a delicious foodstuff, they are an activity unto themselves. What could be more decadent than an afternoon spent lingering in front of the fire, drinking a bottle of fruity red wine, peeling and nibbling a bowl of chestnuts fresh from the oven? Whether you dream of a Dickensian Christmas, or an Italian autumn festival, chestnuts are the stuff of cold-weather fantasies and ruminations.

Nobody likes beets Dwight! Why don’t you grow something that everybody does like? You should grow candy! I’d love a piece of candy right now...not a beet. -Michael Scott, The Office Etymology Beta vulgaris (Latin) Origin Beets have been farmed for at least 5,000 years. Ancient growers in the Mediterranean region used them as a storage vegetable to provide sustenance during the winter months. Migration moved them north into Europe, and they were subsequently brought to the United States by European settlers. The sugar beet, which is cultivated for its sucrose, was originally discovered by a German scientist and developed as a sugarcane substitute during the late 18th Century, when sugarcane sources from the West Indies were cut off in Europe. Thankfully for us and all beet lovers, our garden variety table beet has flourished. Description Beets are a root vegetable consisting of leaves which attach to a root bulb. The bulb can vary greatly in size, with table beets being smaller than sugar beets. Despite their high sugar content (table beets contain 10% sugar and sugar beets 20%), they are, much to our delight, a low-calorie food. And if high levels of Vitamin B, C, calcium and folic acid aren’t enough motivation for you to indulge and treat your body to some super-nutrition, their antioxidants called betalain have been studied for their cancer-fighting qualities. Healthy and delicious, beets are arguably one of the most underrated vegetables in the garden. Speaking of gardening, what better place to get to the root of beets than the Black Dirt region of New York’s Hudson Valley? Listen to our tour of Rogowski Organic Farms , where we get our shoes all muddy, pick our dinner right from the ground, and connect with five beet varieties and their veggie friends. We totally dig the farm sounds in that podcast. Types The beet was originally grown for its leafy greens. Leaf beet (more commonly known as Swiss chard) is used mostly for its leaves, and table beets are grown mostly for their roots, though the leaves are also edible. There are several varieties and colors of table beets: Italian heirloom Chioggas are known for their candy cane-like striped appearance, and we think they are absolutely gorgeous. Golden and albino beets are similar to red beets in all aspects except for their red pigment. Bonus: They will not turn your hands purple, but are equally delicious. Smaller beets are more tender; once they grow larger than 3 inches in diameter, they can be too fibrous and tough. For the freshest beets, chose firm ones that still have their tops.