Victor started liking beets when he first had roasted golden beets. They were totally different than the canned pickled beets of his youth – they had flavor without vinegar. Golden beets aren’t in the market very often – even though they have a long summer-through-fall season – so I grab a couple whenever I see them.

I roasted them in the oven – pan wrapped in foil – for about an hour, and then peeled them. That’s pretty much my standard start. From there, anything is possible!

Today, it was cubing them along with an apple and a couple stalks of celery.

I sauteed them in a bit of olive oil, then added some Calvados and put a lid on to steam. Seasoning-wise, I used Penzey’s Florida Pepper – their spin on St Augustine spice blend.

I marinated a pork tenderloin in the same spice and Calvados – and then grilled it.

To round out the plate, Victor made a tomato salad – fresh tomatoes, olive oil, basil, garlic, salt & pepper.

The apples and beets really complimented each other – and the celery added a nice texture to balance them. And you just can’t get any better than fresh tomatoes from your own yard. They are the highlight of summer!

Since the rains stopped, the tomatoes have been coming in at a rapid pace. I’ll be doing another harvest tomorrow. And peppers. We have peppers! I’m leaving the majority of them out there to turn red. I’m making another batch of hot sauce! I do pull in a dozen or so every few days to fry. We have fried peppers on everything!

Another good day at the gym…

Life is good…