Reflections

Midsummer is upon us, and the weather has been lovely and forgiving. Here on the farm things are ripening quickly. I often wish I had the means and the ability to make one of those time lapse videos of the growth out here, for you and I to reflect upon. From above, you would see the shift of the beds being formed, planted, harvested, and put to rest, moving along the landscape in an arc. From ground level you would watch as germination occurs, the seeds moving with incredible force to break out of the soil and showing the world their first leaves. They grow visibly upward, and simultaneously, mysteriously delve deep into the soil to search out and pull up their desired nutrients. The camera catches the ever increasing surface area of their broad green leaves and witnesses their first buds slowly forming, with bees and butterflies encouraging and monitoring their emergence. These insects greet them with eager tastes at the moment they finally open and unfold. And the flower lives and dies, but the beauty of pollination brings forth a fruit from that spot of wilt and decay, the sun ripens it and sugars and water move upward to sweeten it. Finally, my hand reaches down gently to nudge it away from its viney home, sets it to soak in a tub of fresh, cold water and then places it in a box where it is transported to your kitchen. Over and over this happens, and I wish I had record of it, to watch and reflect on again and again the beauty of new growth and thankful harvest.

Featured Recipes: 

Spicy Eggplant Puree
A little oil for the baking tray
1 ½ lb. eggplant
a little salt
1 Tbs. olive oil
3 to 4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper
2 cups chopped onion
1 ½ tsp. salt
fresh black pepper to taste
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 to 3 cups water
¼ cup yogurt
2 Tbs. tahini
2 Tbs. honey
Toppings: minced fresh parsley and/or cilantro, extra yogurt, finely minced red bell pepper
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly oil a baking tray.
2. Slice the eggplant in half lengthwise. Lightly salt each open side, and place them open side down on the tray. Bake for 30 minutes, or until very soft. Cool until handle-able, remove and discard the seeds and skin, and set the pulp aside.
3. Heat the olive oil in small skillet. Add garlic, onion, jalapeno, salt, and pepper, and saute over medium heat until the onion is soft (8 to 10 minutes). Stir in lemon juice, remove from heat.
4. Puree the eggplant, onion saute, water, yogurt, tahini, and honey together in a food processor or blender. You might need to do this in several batches.
5. Transfer to a large, heavy saucepan and heat very gently. Taste to adjust seasonings. Serve hot, with or without toppings, with sliced veggies or pita bread.
Source: The Enchanted Broccoli Forest

Lazy Man Eggplant Parmesan
• Slice your eggplants on a diagonal to make some big ¾ inch slices.
• Fill a small frying pan or wok with vegetable oil (maybe some olive oil for flavor) so that it is about ¾ inch deep. Heat the oil on medium heat.
• Use a basting brush to coat the slices with raw egg and drop them into Italian-style breadcrumbs. Make sure the crumbs stick all over and drop them in the hot oil. They cook fast. Give them a flip after a couple of minutes.
• After another couple of minutes, remove the slices carefully and put them on an absorbent material to dry off (paper bags work).
• Repeat until you run out of eggplant. Serve over pasta with your favorite marinara sauce and some Parmesan cheese.

How To Freeze Eggplant:
Wash and peel; slice, dice or cut in strips, depending on how you plan to use it. There's no need to peel very young eggplant.
Blanching Time:
Steam to blanch. Steam 2 minutes for diced eggplant and thin slices, and up to 5 minutes for thick slices. Have a cold water/lemon juice mixture ready (1 teaspoon lemon juice to each quart of water). Chill eggplants in the cold water-lemon juice mixture; drain and pat dry.
Pack: Leave 1/2 inch of headspace in bags.
Yield: 2 medium eggplants = approximately 2 pint frozen.

Caprese Skewers
15 small fresh Mozzarella Balls
1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes
3 Tbsp Basil Flavored Olive Oil (Use regular if you wish)
Salt & Pepper
1 Bunch Basil
30 short Bamboo Skewers or Sandwich Picks
Halve the mozzarella balls and the tomatoes. Toss with oil; add salt and pepper to taste. Tear the basil into bite-sized leaves. Skewer a piece of mozzarella, a piece of basil, and a tomato half onto a skewer or pick; repeat with remaining ingredients and skewers. Arrange skewers in concentric circles on a platter. Try grilling briefly if you wish. Makes 6+ appetizer servings