Don't toss your greens, bro.

A freebie you might be overlooking at the market.

I’m a certified beet lover and I’ve got the newsletter entries to prove it. Fresh, oven roasted beets are a goddamn delight. They’re a welcome addition to salads, playing beautifully with cheese of all types; pureed with tahini and pistachio they make for a great, chunky dip with crudités.

If you’re buying beets at the farmer’s market this season, odds are high they’re coming with their gangly greens attached. They may even be flecked with little holes where some pest went to town in the fields.

It’s easy to chop these things off and toss them in the bin. DON’T DO IT.

Beet greens are a flavorful, delicate green, akin to Swiss chard, but with more delicate, tender stalks. Cooking them couldn’t be easier.

Bring a big pot of water to boil, and salt it as you would pasta water. (That is to say aggressively.)

Once boiling, toss in your beet greens and give them a good stir. Let them boil until the stems are tender - it shouldn’t take more than a couple minutes.

Turn off the heat and pull them from the water with a pair of tongs (draining off excess water) and pile them into a large mixing bowl. Grate in a clove of garlic and drizzle a healthy pour of olive oil - then toss it all together. You can taste for salt and add some, if needed.

These are great on their own as a side dish with roasted chicken, topping a dish of roasted beets, or chilled and tossed into a grain or lentil salad.

Easy, good eating. It’s a small and simple thing.