Sunday, February 20, 2011

What Good Is This?

I'm trying new recipes from my 5 Ingredient cookbook, and today I attempt "Ginger Beets." 

Ginger Beets
I've never roasted beets before. I scrub off the dirt, chop off the stems, and roast them for an hour.  When cooled, the beets slip right out of their skin.  I slice them in quarters, toss them with fresh ginger and olive oil, and finally sprinkle a dash of salt. 

Beautiful!  Delicious! 

I'm amazed that roots, buried deep in the darkness, can produce such vibrant color.  That deep red paints everything:  my fingers, the counter tops, and the kitchen sink.  This winter kitchen has bright red flair!  One would never know, just by looking at those old roots, what a beet can do.

No other vegetable has such color.  I learn that, at first, the leaves were the only parts of a beet considered edible. The roots, tossed aside and wasted, weren't enjoyed as they are today. 

But now we know differently.  The beet root, beautiful and vibrant, nourishes.  

The parts of us we toss aside--viewed as waste--or bury deep await God's use:   beautiful, vibrant, nourishing to others.  


____________________
Journal:  What skills do I toss aside, thinking they have no use? 

1 comment:

Ann Kroeker said...

The Spirit of Food got me trying out beets, and I loved them! As I set aside and eventually tossed the tops, I did wonder if they were edible. I was too busy working with the beet roots to check online about the greens. Now I'm bummed--apparently I could have eaten it all!