Berry Beet Salad — What the Hollow Gives Back

Ramps coming up by the creek. I went up Saturday and dug a sackful. Worked at the construction company in Lexington this week. The body holds. Most days.

Connie at the vet clinic, four shifts this week. Her back is tired. She does not say so. I see it. Mama is 86. She is the toughest person I have ever known. She still cooks every day in the company house in Evarts.

Fried chicken Sunday. Buttermilk overnight. Cast iron at three-fifty. Mama's recipe.

Travis called Tuesday. The landscaping company is busy. He sounds tired in a good way. Amber called Sunday. Things are good. James sends his regards.

I sat on the porch with a bourbon at sundown. The fog was already settling in the hollow.

Connie read aloud from a novel Tuesday evening while I worked on the bench. Some Appalachian writer she had picked up at the library in Whitesburg. The voice was the voice of where we live. We listened together.

The creek was running clear Sunday afternoon. I watched a kingfisher work the riffle. Did not move for an hour. Some Sundays the watching is the worship.

I sat at the kitchen table Tuesday night working on the recipe project. Mama's soup beans. I cannot get the words right yet.

I sat on the porch with bourbon at sundown Friday. The fog rolled into the hollow the way it has every fog of every year. The porch was the porch. The bourbon was the bourbon.

Sunday service at Harlan First Baptist when we go. Pastor preached about Ruth and Boaz. The choir sang. Connie wore her gray dress.

Read the paper at breakfast Tuesday. The county news is not great. The mines have not come back and they will not come back. The young people leave. The hollows empty. We stay.

I checked the truck oil Saturday. The mileage on this truck is criminal.

Amber sent the kids' school photos this week. Nadia is taller every year. Marcus has Amber's serious face. Little Betty has Mama's eyes.

Travis sent a photo of Earl Thomas riding on the mower with him at a job site. The boy is wearing a Hensley Landscaping T-shirt that's too big. Three generations on a mower. I saved the photo.

I went up to Earl's grave at the Evarts cemetery Saturday. Brought a beer. Drank half. Poured the rest on the dirt. Some traditions are mine alone.

Drove to Pineville for parts Wednesday. The hardware store man knew me. We talked about the weather and the price of feed. Forty minutes for a five-minute errand. That is rural Kentucky.

I split a half-cord of wood Saturday. Slowly. The back does not let me work fast anymore. It got done. The wood was for the smokehouse.

Connie cut my hair on the porch Tuesday afternoon. She has been cutting my hair for forty years. The barber in Pineville cannot do what Connie does, which is also love.

Worked on a basement remodel job in Lexington. The work was good. The pay was good. The body is tired.

Connie made jam Saturday afternoon. Wild blackberries from the patch up the hollow. Twelve jars. The pantry is filling for winter.

The dog — old Beau, fifteen years old — slept by the wood stove all afternoon Tuesday. He used to be a hunting dog. Now he is a heating pad with opinions.

Drove the truck to the dump Saturday afternoon. Saw three deer crossing the road on the way back. The mountains have been giving back this year.

The neighbor up the road — Old Roy, eighty-seven, lives alone — had a small heart scare. We took him soup beans Tuesday. Cornbread too. He cried a little when he ate. We all cry over soup beans eventually.

Watching Connie line up those twelve jars of wild blackberry jam on the pantry shelf Saturday — berries she’d picked herself from the patch up the hollow — I kept thinking about what this land still gives us if we’re willing to go looking for it. This berry beet salad is not Mama’s fried chicken, and I won’t pretend it is, but it uses what the season offers and asks you to pay attention to it, which felt right for a week like this one.

Berry Beet Salad

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 50 min | Total Time: 1 hr 5 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 3 medium beets, trimmed and scrubbed
• 2 cups mixed salad greens
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese or feta
• 1/4 cup candied or toasted walnuts
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Roast the beets. Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap each beet individually in foil and place on a baking sheet. Roast 45–50 minutes, until a knife slides in easily. Remove and let cool completely.
2. Peel and slice. Once cooled, rub skins off with a paper towel. Slice beets into thin wedges or rounds. Set aside.
3. Make the vinaigrette. Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, and a pinch of salt and black pepper in a small bowl until combined.
4. Build the salad. Arrange salad greens on a large plate or shallow bowl. Layer beet slices over the greens, then scatter blueberries and sliced strawberries across the top.
5. Finish and serve. Sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese and walnuts. Drizzle vinaigrette evenly over the salad. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 190 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 18g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 175mg