For a long time, I've been interested in produce that comes in all different colors and varieties. Apples, kale, gourds; you name it and I am all about it. At the moment, my colorful produce obsession has been mainly focused on beets.

Jim Webster, the co-author of my most recent cookbook, "America Farm to Table," pegs it rather perfectly. "The gold seem extravagant. The candy-stripe Chioggia -- say it: key-oh-jah -- seem playful. But the truth is, I just buy red beets now. They seem to be the sweetest, and for me, that's the game with beets." Amen, Webster.

David Cleverdon, our featured Chicago farmer in "America," owns Kinnikinnick Farm northwest of the city. He introduced us to the notion that the more cylindrical-shaped the beet, the more evenly they cook and subsequently the easier they become for cutting into uniform shapes.

In my Beet and Fennel Insalata Cruda, I keep the medium to large red beets raw and grate them on the large holes of a box grater. To add a crunchy and second slightly sweet component, I discard the ribs and fronds of my fennel, utilizing only the bulbs.

When picking fennel at the farmers' market, you'll know it's of good quality when the bulbs are solid, firm and clean without bruising or spotting. Store fresh fennel for up to four days in your refrigerator crisper drawer. Keep in mind that as this vegetable ages, it gradually loses flavor.

Closely associated with Dionysus, the god of wine, a fennel stalk is also given in Greek mythology as the means by which Prometheus passed down fire from the gods to men. It's been grown in areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea since ancient times, and today the United States is among the leading cultivators. If fennel is good enough for the gods, it sure is good enough as a light and refreshing starter to my winter dinner.

Beet and Fennel Insalata Cruda

Serves 8 to 10 as a side dish.

Cook Time: 30-60 minutes

3 medium to large red beets

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