A labor of love peeling all of these roasted red beets from Donna’s Farm.

-intentionally didn’t wear gloves as I wanted to see my beet stained fingers working for hours-

The Ukraine and it’s culture have obviously been in the forefront of my mind’s eye. Did a little research on recipes for borscht and found a great deal of history on the dish.

I’ll be making this gorgeous dish and ready to share with you all in the next few days.

The word borscht itself originated from the Old Slavonic word “b’rshch” (beet).

“Most Americans think of borscht as a Russian dish because the soup debuted in the United States during the massive late-19th- century immigration from Russia. But the immigrants who brought borscht to our tables were not Russians; they were Jews from the Pale of Settlement, an area that included much of present day Ukraine, borscht is, in fact, the Ukrainian national soup.“

Note: important to use unrefined sunflower oil. Sunflower, is the official flower of Ukraine.

“ Food is about connecting. With family and friends. With history and heritage.”

When asked why people tend to turn to food in times like these, Hercules pauses. “Food is life. Food is also family. And so, family is life.” 🇺🇦🌻