'TIS THE SEASON: for precious little...

...or, at least, that was usually the case ere now. At The Bountiful Sprout, this has always been one of the two dreaded times of year -- times when we almost hoped that no prospective members would visit our website, wanting to check us out. We feared that if they saw nothing but a few varieties of greens and lettuces listed in the vegetable section, it might scare them away for good! So, imagine my surprise when I went to place my order last Thursday, and discovered so many things available for order that I had to pick and choose amongst them, for I knew I'd never be able to use them all before they went bad.

Baby carrots (the real kind, not the ones that have been carved out of older carrots and bleached), baby brussels sprouts, and little yellow potatoes (not from TBS) -- tossed with olive oil and a bit of sea salt -- ready to be roasted.

Not only did we take on a lot of new members when we opened our Fredericksburg and S. Austin branches, we gained several new growers and producers as well -- growers who must be fans of Eliot Coleman and his Four Season Harvest methods for extending one's growing season!  Thanks to several of these hardworking folks, our son had quite a feast awaiting him when he arrived from Houston last night.  There were the veggies above, roasted at 400 F. until they had crispy, caramelized brown patches on them.

There were several varieties of fresh baby beets, which were first roasted until tender in little foil packets. Then, when they were cool enough to handle, I removed their skins and sliced them into little wedges.

Next I melted a tablespoon of butter in a saute' pan, stirred in a tablespoon of frozen orange juice concentrate, tossed the beets in that until they were coated and warmed through, and seasoned them with a dash of sea salt and some freshly ground pepper. This was my first time to try the golden chiogga beets. Mmmmm. Much milder than the deep red varieties.

Meat from "happy" animals.

The veggies were served with a nice piece of ribeye and the cutest little lamb chops ever, also from TBS producers, which John marinated in his secret sauce, then grilled on the barbie. (It was in the 70's here yesterday!) I've never been a big fan a most lamb dishes, but when grilled like this?  Oh my my! Sorry I don't have any photos of the completed dishes.  Once my boy and his puppy arrived, I was too busy having fun to think about taking photos!  The vino did not come from TBS, but it did come from the Duchman Family Vineyards, just down the road from here.

A meal like this? In the middle of winter? That's what I call "livin' the good life!"