Adventures in the Kitchen with Michelle, HandMade Harvard Beets

Spring is finally here – and that means outdoor markets. I love outdoor shopping of nearly every kind…art shows, antique fairs and farmers markets. Here in Florida we’re able to enjoy most of them year round. Trouble is, Farmers Markets are traditionally set up in a park or centralized community space in most towns – Florida towns aren’t always set up to accommodate. In fact many of Florida’s ‘towns’ are really overgrown housing developments that sprawl on for miles and evolve into a tax base with a zip code. Presto, instant town. Notice I didn’t say ‘city’. City means a whole other level of bureaucracy and taxing authority that these development dwellers aren’t ready for. The down side is that there’s not real structure or community feel of any kind. No city center or community space to hold things like fairs and farmers markets. To get around all this we rely on parking lots. Our local Rural King allows our farmers market to commandeer their parking lot on Saturday Mornings. (Thank you RuralKing !) There we can get home made preserves, baked goods, plants and flowers, and local fresh veggies. I’m thinking I need to do a little blog about our tiny market, http://www.hernandocountyfarmersmarket.webs.com But that’s next week – 

Anyway, on my trip to Beasleys Farm stand, I found many yummy things. Fabulous poblano peppers, tomatoes to die for,…and beets. Ooooo, I love beets! They’re so good for you too. My Grandmother used to make what she called Harvard Beets. Slightly less pungent than standard pickled beets. Sort of the bread-n-butter version for beets. It’d been so many years since I’d had hers, and I’d been so used to the over-the-top taste of the store jarred variety,…could I do it? Seeing as everything else I’ve tried (for the most part) has turned out to be far and away better than the commercially produced version, I had to give it a shot. 

HandMade Harvard Beets 

Note: Most Harvard Beet recipes are for dinner consumption. Many start with already jarred beets. They’re served with a thick sauce laced with cornstarch and butter. I planned on canning these, so the butter was out. Besides, I don’t ever remember Grandma putting butter in those beets – and she put butter on everything! 

Step 1

Handmade Harvard Beets, The Ingredients

1-1/2 lbs Fresh Beets, trimmed 

2/3 Cup Sugar 

1 tsp Cornstarch * (if you want a thick syrup, use 4tsp) 

1/2 Cup Cider Vinegar 

Get out some jars to sterilize, unless you plan on just leaving them in the fridge, which is fine too. There are never half-eaten jars of beets here. If it’s opened – it’s consumed. Yes, I will eat an entire jar of pickled beets…alone. I have to portion control myself. 

Step 2: 

Take the beets, and get them in a pot and cover with salted water. Simmer them for about 40 min. until fork tender. 

Handmade Harvard Beets, Step 2

Step 3: 

Drain the beets and save the liquid. I strained mine thru a tea strainer to catch any less-than-apetizing bits that were in the juice. 

Handmade Harvard Beets, Step 3

Step 4: 

Take 1/2 cup of the liquid and add the sugar, corn starch, and vinegar. Cook up into a syrup making sure the sugar has melted and the cornstarch is thickening. Feel free to double this to have extra if you’re jarring the beets. Processing means you’ll need to cover the beets in the jars. 

Handmade Harvard Beets, Step 4

Step 5: 

When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel them by rubbing the skins off onto a paper towel. Unless, you use a piece of plastic wrap under that towel your hands will resemble an unpopular skin condition. Maybe not your best look – take out some insurance. 

Handmade Harvard Beets, Step 5

Step 6: 

Slice up those beets and get them into their respective vessels. Note the green cutting board, there’s a reason the Indians use beets as a fabric dye…your lovely wood cutting board will forever be Easter egg pink. The green plastic one cleans up in the dishwasher.

Handmade Harvard Beets, Step 6

Step 7:

Top off the jars with the warm liquid and get the lids on.

Handmade Harvard Beets, Step 7

Step 8: 

If you’re processing them, get the jars into a 250deg oven for 30 min. Don’t forget to label them. They look a lot like a fruit jam – pretty disappointing for a Sunday morning pancake fest! 

Handmade Harvard Beets, Step 8

Finale: 

Handmade Harvard Beets, FinaleLet those beets marinate for a day or so. Voila’ Harvard Beets ! Slightly sweet, just like I remember. There’s an honest beet flavor, too. Not those watered down tasting things from a salad bar…these are firm and fresh tasting. No gooey syrup, but just thick enough to hang on the slices. Now, I need a side of cottage cheese and it’ll be just like I remember. Yuuuummmmmy!! 

And, yes, I’ll still eat the entire jar in one sitting,….and call it lunch. 

But wait, after you’ve eaten the beets, don’t throw out that liquid! I’ll show you what I do with that next week. 

Michelle Beal

http://badzoot.com

[yumprint-recipe id=’8′]

Tea Class at Tea House 650 Cafe

Back in February Terry and I took a cooking class along with a bunch of friends at The Mullet Hole Tavern in the Heritage Village in Crystal River. So much fun! Last week one of these friends invited me to a tea class at the Tea House 650, also in the Heritage Village.  Now that I’ve been to cooking class I couldn’t pass a chance to learn about tea! 

Wares
These are just a few of the different containers of tea leaves. And wine, too!

Formerly the Back Porch garden and Tea Bar, I had been there many times over the years. Usually to buy tea but I’ve also had lunch there a few times plus bought a cute little teapot from the shop–perfect size for two cups of tea. 

Gail
Gail and the daily tea list

Gail, one of the owners of the tea house, led us through several tea subjects–from how healthy tea is to the different varieties–even how they are picked.  We tried a few different flavors, looked at and smelled the different types of tea leaves, and learned about Yerba Mate which Gail mixed with royal coconut oolong to make a delicious hot energy drink.

Tea leaves
Tea Leaves
Yerba Mate
Yerba Mate

Our little group stayed for lunch, yum!  I highly recommend the Tobouli wedge with Red Beans and Rice along with a glass of white blueberry ice tea. 

lunch
Tabouli Wedge with Red Beans and Rice

 One of the other women in our group had the chicken salad which also looked wonderful.

Chicken Salad
Homemade Chicken Salad

The Tea House 650 Café is located at 650 N. Citrus Aveue in Crystal River.  Their phone number is 352-564-1500 and website is www.teahouse650.com. Gail holds tea class every Tuesday from 11am until noon.  The classes are free but limited to six guests.  Besides tea, they also sell tea accessories, lunch, lovely items for the garden, and unique gifts. 

Herry’s Cafe

Connie Wright, a friend of mine and a volunteer for The Hospice of Citrus and the Nature Coast at Herry’s Café in Homosassa, recently suggested that I stop by and meet the workers, volunteers, and customers at the restaurant. I’m always looking for new writing ideas so I popped in for a quick visit Monday morning.

Connie Wright
Connie Wright, volunteer at Herry’s Cafe
Debbie Davis, Thrift Shop Coordinator
Debbie Davis, Thrift Shop Coordinator

The café is in the Homosassa Too Thrift & Gift Shoppe located on 8471 W. Periwinkle Lane in Homosassa Springs. Several regular customers drop in at least a few days a week and many of them are veterans. Connie introduced me to the “two Jims”– James C. Smith and James D. Champman. Both are veterans of the Vietnam War, Mr. Smith was in the navy and Mr. Chapman served in the army. They come in every morning and play chess.

James C. smith and James D. Champman
James C. smith and James D. Champman

I also met Buddy Olear, the manager of the café, who suggested I call Joe Foster, the Public Relations Manager for Hospice of Citrus and the Nature Coast, for more information. Joe was pleasant to talk to–he obviously believes in the work he is involved in and I learned quite a bit during our phone conversation.

This Hospice serves not only Citrus County but also eleven other counties on the Nature Coast. There are eight thrift shoppe locations and two thrift shoppe/cafes, this one in Homosassa plus one in Chiefland along with stores in Homosassa, Beverly Hills, Inverness, Interlachen, Lake City, and High Springs. Joe added that each site is a good way to informally let people know about the services that Hospice provides.

I was interested to learn that all of the proceeds from the café go to help children with life-threatening illnesses and that there are currently 50-60 children in pediatric services. Herry’s Cafe in Homosassa Springs serves delicious and fresh salads, sandwiches and breakfast items and is open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm and on Saturday from 8 am to 4 pm.

Herry's Cafe
Herry’s Café in Homosassa Springs