Beautiful, hardy beets thrive in cool, dry weather, and when they're fresh and young they don't have to roast for an hour before you eat them. They don't even have to be peeled.

   Here's what I do with them: cut off the greens and set them aside. Chop an onion and start sauteeing it. Wash the beet bulbs and cut off the hairy roots, then slice them into medallions 1/8 inch thick. Lay the medallions in with the onions. Rinse the greens, pat them dry, chop them coarsely. When you start to see beet juice on the medallions (about five minutes), put the chopped greens on top of the beets, add some coarse salt, and put a cover on the skillet. Let the whole thing steam for five minutes more. If you like it saucy, add some white wine.

   That's good food.

Meet the Beagle Brigade: Protecting American Ag One Sniff at a Time

By Andrew Amelinckx, from Modern Farmer 

   This month, a dedicated federal employee has retired. For the last five years, he's been diligently sniffing out potentially dangerous plants and animal products at Kennedy International Airport for little more than treats and a pat on his head.

   Jasper, an eight-year-old beagle-bluetick-coonhound mix with some of the sweetest brown eyes you’ve ever seen, was a member of the Beagle Brigade, which for the last 20 years has been the front line of defense in protecting America’s food supply at our international airports. The Brigade is made up of 114 teams of dogs and their handlers, who are agricultural specialists in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency. Every international airport in the country has at least one team made up of a dog and its handler. Kennedy International Airport in New York City has five, plus two teams of Labrador retrievers. Terminal 4, the airport’s busiest terminal averages 50,000 passengers a day. That’s a lot of baggage potentially carrying a Pandora’s Box of invasive species.

   Read more here.