In Season: Beets

Especially in late winter and early spring, beets are a delight of the garden. Colorful, nutty-sweet and packed with nutrients, including vitamin A, calcium and iron, they are the highlight of salads, soups and sandwiches.

Red beets — Sweeney’s favorite — can be found in farmers markets and community supported agriculture boxes right now, as can golden and candy-striped chioggia beets. It all depends on when growers put them in the ground, said farmer Neil Taylor.

Sweeney loves to roast beets (wrap tightly in foil and cook in a 385-degree oven until tender) for salads and sandwiches. He’s noticed that beet-doubters are wary of cubed beets, so he’ll slice them, cold-cut style, to make sandwiches with herbed chèvre, or shred them to add to a quinoa and parsley salad.

Golden beets aren’t as sweet as red beets, but they don’t stain your countertops, and they can be very pretty when contrasted with red beets in a salad. Sweeney likes to use roasted golden beets in soups and purees, he said, because they can be a little temperamental. “They will oxidize while you’re looking at them,” he warned.

Sweeney doesn’t always roast his beets, though. Sometimes he serves them raw. “We’ll do fine sticks of raw beets with apple and an apple cider vinaigrette,” topped with toasted seeds, he said.

Sweeney has a plan for the candy-striped beets, too. They can lose their interesting color patterns when cooked, so they are great to add raw to salads, sliced paper-thin. “Or pickled — I really do like pickled beets,” he said.

Some people love all beets — even the pickled ones.

At local farmers markets

Arugula, beets, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, celery, collards, endive, escarole, fennel, herbs, kale, lettuce, mixed greens, parsnips, radishes, rutabagas, spinach, Swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips

From farther afield

Looking good: Mexican asparagus, Chilean avocados, and blueberries, Mexican and California broccoli, Guatemalan and Honduran cantaloupes, California carrots, Moroccan and Spanish clementines, Honduran and Mexican cucumbers, Texas grapefruit, Chilean and Peruvian grapes, Georgia and South Carolina greens, Italian kiwi fruit, Chilean nectarines, and peaches, Washington and South American pears, Florida and Mexican peppers, Mexican radishes, Chilean raspberries, Washington rhubarb, Florida strawberries

Coming in: California asparagus, Florida beans, Texas carrots, Florida corn and eggplant, Chilean kiwi fruit

Variable quality: California artichokes; Mexican beans; Texas and Mexican beets; Mexican blackberries, carrots, corn, and eggplant; Texas greens; Mexican limes and mangoes; Honduran okra; Guatemalan peas; Florida radishes; California and Mexican raspberries; California spinach; California and Mexican strawberries; Florida and Mexican tomatoes

Local reports and the Packer

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Spiced Beet Sandwich Spread

Hands on: 10 minutes Total time: 10 minutes Serves: 4

Cumin and cinnamon add a Middle Eastern touch to this colorful sandwich filling. Tender young beets don’t need to be cooked before eating — just wash them well and grate them raw, skin and all. Serve on pita or flat bread with lettuce, sprouts, tomatoes or a little goat cheese. “Beets and any sort of cheese work well together, especially the softer cheeses,” noted David Sweeney of Dynamic Dish.

Tester’s note: Before taking beet to grater, we recommend putting on an apron and covering your work space with newspaper. (Just don’t use the Food section!)

8 ounces fresh beets, washed (but not peeled)

1/4 cup Greek-style fat-free or low-fat yogurt

1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon cumin

1/8 teaspoon paprika

Generous pinch of cinnamon

Salt and pepper to taste

Grate the beets. In a bowl, combine the grated beets, yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, paprika and cinnamon. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Per serving: 25 calories (percent of calories from fat, 4), 1 gram protein, 5 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, trace fat (no saturated), trace cholesterol, 41 milligrams sodium.