CSA Week 3, Part 1: Beet and Turnip Greens

Sautéd Beet and Turnip Greens, via Eat the Vegan Rainbow

This summer I am doing something new – getting some of my produce from a local farm via the CSA, which stands for Community Supported Agriculture. I signed up for a large share at Upswing Farm, where the farmers Brittany and Kevin Overshiner are trying to protect the land they are using from the pressure to develop it into housing, as well as growing some yummy vegetables and beautiful flowers all while respecting the nature and the environment.

Beets and turnips in our CSA share

We are already in Week 3 of our CSA share, and this week the loot included a bunch of beets and a bunch of baby (young) turnips. Although I usually get both beets and turnips when they are much more mature and without any leaves to speak of, knowing how fresh this produce is made me think that I should really be using the entire plant. So, I looked around for recipes and decided that a simple saute would work well. And it did – the greens spoke for themselves with just a bit of help from young garlic* and olive oil!

The result is a wonderfully colorful side dish that goes with anything really. You can serve it with your veggie burgers, rice, pasta, mashed potatoes, or make it into a sandwich. I personally like to combine this sauté with some meatless meatballs and almond yogurt. Yummy!

And if you are wondering what to do with the rest of your beets and turnips, why not try pan roasting them on the stove top?

* Note: if you do have green garlic on hand, use both the white and the green bits, and if you don’t have access to green garlic, just use the regular kind. You can crush it, but I prefer slicing the cloves very thinly – it adds not only flavor but a bit of an interesting bite to the dish.

Sautéd Beet and Turnip Greens

What you’ll need:

3-4 cups beets greens, washed and chopped (leaves and stems from one bunch of beets)

3-4 cups turnip greens, washed and chopped (leaves and stems from one bunch of young turnips)

4 cloves garlic or 4 young (green) garlics, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

What you’ll need:

Place a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes with stirring. Garlic can burn quickly, so do keep an eye on it!
When garlic is slightly browned, add the chopped greens. The volume is going to be huge at the beginning but be patient and let the greens wilt slowly and gradually. I like to use a pair of tongs and keep turning the greens over every few minutes.
Once the leaves are fully wilted, lower the heat and sauté for 15-20 minutes. This will help the bits of stems soften and cook through.
Serve with mashed turnips, or pan roasted beets and turnips for a lovely and healthy meal!