We picked the first of the field eggplant last week; it was beautiful to see the dark purple, shiny fruits. The corn is slowly ripening but the crop is very petite this year. It was planted in a section of the field that has standing water for much of the winter and the plants are stunted. Luckily the mini ears still taste delicious.
I looked back at the records from the previous seasons at this time to see how this season varies: what we were harvesting, planting, and weeding. Seeing the common rhythms helps to ground me and to ease my worries.
This week’s pick list:
Kohlrabi
Eggplant
Tomatoes
Beets
Chard
Potatoes
Collards
Parsley, Basil, Cilantro, Dill
Leeks
Carrots
Kale
Summer squash
Lettuce
Cucumbers
Turnips
Celery
Cabbage
Fennel
Scallions
Garlic
Strawberries
Tea Blends
Dried Peppers
Revolution Bread and Filigreen Farm Blueberries available!
Eggplant Salad Toasts, from smittenkitchen.com
Makes about 8 toasts; double the recipe if you’d like to eat the salad straight or use it in one of the ways suggested above
1 medium eggplant, about 3/4 pound, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil plus additional for oiling baking sheet
1/4 teaspoon salt
Black pepper
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/4 cup crumbled crumbled feta
1 scallion, thinly sliced
8 1/2-inch slices of baguette, brushed with olive oil (I used 1-inch slices in the photos, then decided they were too thick)
1 small clove garlic, peeled and halved
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly oil a baking sheet or roasting pan. Toss eggplant, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and a generous amount of black pepper together in a medium bowl until evenly coated. Spread on prepared baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes, moving pieces around occasional so they evenly brown. For a cold salad, let the eggplant cool a bit before mixing it with red wine vinegar, feta and scallion. For a warm salad where the feta glues itself to the eggplant a bit, toss the vinegar, feta and scallion together when the eggplant just comes out of the oven. You’ll want to eat the warm salad quickly.
Broil or toast baguette slices then rub them with a garlic clove before heaping on eggplant salad.