This last weekend friends of ours stopped by with a huge basket of veggies from their garden.

This time of year we expect to see string beans, tomatoes,eggplant, broccoli, basil and onions.

But also in this assortment were beets.

Wait what? I always thought beets were a fall crop?

And yes, that is true.  They prefer to grow in cool weather, so here in Upstate New York spring and early summer are ideal as well.

They are in the same family as chard and spinach so that makes sense, since they also like  a cooler growing season.

FYI beets with a round bottom are sweeter than those with a flat bottom, Huh? True.

I trimmed mine but they definitely had round bottoms!

My beet growing friend also told me that if you cook the red ones separate from the yellow they will retain their color.

I didn’t know that until I had already roasted them, so they are all red at this point.

No matter the color, piled on top of fresh greens with a sprinkle of marinated cherry tomatoes, and a dollop of goat cheese, they will be divine.

Start by washing and peeling beets, cut up into manageable pieces, not too small since they shrink up quite a bit when roasted.

Toss with some olive oil, thyme and salt and pepper. Roast in 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes.
Meanwhile in medium bowl add sliced tomatoes and add olive oil, white wine vinegar, and generous sprinkle of salt and pepper set aside.

Lay greens on serving platter and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place cooked beets over greens, pour marinated tomatoes over top. Slice or crumble goat cheese on top.

Roasted Beet and Cherry Tomato Salad
6-8 medium beets, cut into large bite size pieces
1 /4 cup plus 2 Tb olive oil divided
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 lb cherry tomatoes
2 Tbs white wine vinegar
4 ounces goat cheese
2 cups salad greens
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350 degrees, toss beets with 2 Tbs of olive oil, thyme and salt and pepper. Cook for 35-45 minutes.
Meanwhile cut up cherry tomatoes, add to bowl and toss with 1/4 cup olive oil, vinegar and salt and pepper.
Lay salad greens on serving platter, drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper.
Place beets on top. Pour marinated tomatoes over greens.
Scatter goat cheese over and serve.

Kitchen tip
If you want nice firm rounds of goat cheese for your salad
Place cheese in freezer while the beets roast
Making it easier to cut without crumbling