When locally-grown produce meets culinary genius, magic is made here at Travaasa Austin. This Roasted Beet Mandala features ingredients grown right here on the Travaasa Farm before being tastefully prepared by our very own Chef Ben in the kitchen. Like what you see? Farmer Kim offers her advice for growing some of these ingredients in your backyard in order to make your own farm-to-table entrees.

Roasted Beet Mandala

Roasted red and golden beets, Wateroak goat cheese quinelle, caramelized sweet potato, deviled Travaasa farm egg, smoked trout cake, sustainably harvested grinnel caviar, hydroponic watercress.

Eggs. Plants and animals work beautifully when paired together. Animals provide exceptional compost to nourish your crops, and plants provide the necessary nutrients to feed your animals. Chickens are a low maintenance animal that contribute fresh eggs to your farm-to-table fare all year round. While chickens do lay eggs throughout the year, they do experience a boost in egg production during the summer months as their egg cycle is affected by increased exposure to daylight.

Root Veggies. Sweet potatoes and beets are both considered root vegetables, or storage crops, meaning they can be cultivated during the summer months and harvested in the fall and kept in a cool, dry place to use later. Root vegetables make for key ingredients in casseroles, side dishes and salads and are relatively easy to grow as they do not require as much sunlight as various other crops. On the Travaasa Farm, beets are harvested in early April and again in the fall as this root vegetable is biennial and can be grown over two planting seasons. Keep in mind, root crops always taste best after growing in the ground all winter because the plant stores most of it’s sugars under the Earth’s surface, thus, making winter beets (pictured above) much sweeter than those grown in the summer months.