Wonderful things are starting to happen in the garden. There are several microscopic cucumbers, two nearly edible zucchini with blossoms, and some teensy yellow squash that shall grow up to become dinner.

I picked three teardrop-shaped, almost-ripe Juliet tomatoes (the plant was huge when it went in). The beans have wound around their bamboo poles and are beginning to flower. A new crop of heat-resistant lettuce hasn't been spotted by bunny or groundhog. I wish that were true for the munched-on red chard.

But this week is all about beets, sort of. I planted two types: Forono beets, which are long and cylindrical, not round. They were slow and spotty to germinate but we grew a healthy, red-veined row. One row away and a little to the left are heirloom yellow Mangel beets. Also tapered and not round, their greens are tall, lush and pure green (no red veins).

Normally I would steal a few beet greens for soup and then get lazy or busy, saving the majority of the beets to pickle. But I got inspired. Beautiful beets! I filled a basket with some of each. My plans were to make a roasted beet salad and some cold borscht.

I tried the salad first, using both red and yellow beets. The beets were flavorless.

No taste of the soil, no sweetness. The Mangel beets were white inside, not yellow. After roasting they turned an unattractive noncolor. I mixed them with the red beets hoping they'd pick up a scarlet blush.

Both borscht recipes I tried were good but too much work. Plus, these lackluster beets. I decided against both. More cooking lay ahead.

A problem: In the garden were only toddler beets along with the yellow-white beets I didn't care for. A puzzle: Did all the rain wash away the flavor? Why were the yellow beets white inside?

I needed more, better beets.

My up-the-hill neighbor grows vegetables for the farm market in Morgantown, W.Va. I asked my husband to see if he had beets.

"A dozen or 15 beets?" David asked me before I was really awake.

"How big are they?" I asked.

"About the size of a tennis ball."

"Fifteen," I shouted, then realized I had no good idea how big a tennis ball is.

The beets arrived in a bushel basket, the fresh, crisp greens overflowing the basket, with a lovely present of three shiitake mushrooms. These beets were round, red, full of flavor, tasting like beets. They were lovely in the Minted Beet Salad and a terrific match for the garlicy Skordalia I decided upon.

So, once I scrub the beet juice from underneath my nails, I'm going to plant more beets. This time, I'm trying Detroit Dark Red and Touchstone Gold. I'll let you know how they turn out.

Minted Beet Salad

PG tested

If using red and yellow beets, roast each in separate pieces of foil. Feel free to steam or boil them instead of roasting. -- Miriam Rubin

• 2 bunches beets (8 medium), about 2 pounds, scrubbed, stems trimmed
• 1 small garlic clove, very finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line with foil a roasting pan large enough to contain beets in single layer. Put beets on foil, fold up ends several times to enclose beets.

Roast beets until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour, or longer. Let cool. Slit and peel off skins. Cut into bite-size pieces and put in shallow bowl.

Toss beets with garlic, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Serve immediately or cover and chill. Sprinkle with mint just before serving.

Makes about 3 1/2 cups, 4 to 6 servings.

-- Adapted from "A Fresh Taste of Italy" by Michele Scicolone (Broadway, 1997)

Skordalia

PG tested

Spoon this over cold sliced roasted or boiled beets. -- Miriam Rubin

• 1 medium carrot, cut in half
• 1 small celery stalk, halved
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 4 parsley stems
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 very large or 2 medium (3/4 pound) russet baking potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Put carrot, celery, onion and parsley stems in large saucepan; add 3 cups water, a pinch kosher salt and few grinds pepper. Cover and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes. Add potato, return to boil, cover and simmer over low heat until tender, about 15 minutes.

Chop garlic on cutting board. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. With flat side of chef's knife, rub garlic against board, making as fine a paste as possible. Scrape garlic into small bowl; mix with 2 tablespoons oil.

With slotted spoon, transfer 2/3 of potatoes and onion (discarding carrot and celery, reserving juices) to large bowl. Mash with potato masher. Add garlic mixture and remaining potatoes; mash. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and lemon juice, plus enough cooking liquid, beating with a spoon to a smooth, fairly soft consistency. Taste for seasoning. Serve at room temperature.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups, or at least 6 servings.

-- Adapted from "Falling Cloudberries"by Tessa Kiros (Andrews McMeel, 2009)