By Cecilia
It's eggplant season! I know there have been some questions in the barn about the five different varieties we are growing, so I thought I would write out a short description of each.
Diamond:
This is our tried and true field-grown variety. This is a thicker skinned eggplant, which allows it to hold up better against pest pressure. It has amazing flavor, but the skin makes it a little less tender for something like sautéing. This is our best eggplant for making a spread, like baba ganoush. The skins will blister and peel off perfectly after roasting. These also make a great grilling eggplant
Money Maker:
This variety is one that we typically grow in the hoop house, but we ran out of Diamond plants for our second succession. We ended up filling in with this type and I am really glad we did because these are delicious and have held up against pest pressure remarkably well. These are a very tender Japanese style eggplant that works great for stir fry or baking. They have a delicate flavor, making them really versatile.
Beatrice:
This is our first year growing this variety and I am completely in love. They have a creamy texture and a slightly sweeter flavor. They are similar to the Rosa Bianca heirloom variety. Their skin is a lot softer than the diamond, but they are hefty enough to hold up well to grilling. I read once that you can salt these for an hour before cooking them to enhance the flavor. I am too lazy of a cook to do that, but if someone tries it please let me know how it goes!
Purple Shine:
This is a great Chinese variety with a super mild flavor and a really thin, delicate skin that melts in your mouth. These are also grown in the hoop house to protect them from insects. Honestly, my favorite part about these eggplants is how easy they are to chop (I am a very, very lazy cook). My favorite way to cook these is to chop them into uniform rounds and just bake them in the oven on a cookie sheet.
Shimoda:
These are my favorite eggplants, but unfortunately we do not have as many because they were grown in an area of the hoop house that really struggled. This is a very thin-skinned Japanese eggplant, but the flesh is very dense and creamy. It's the perfect combination. This is my go to eggplant for saute or stir fry. I also love to cut them in half and grill them. Apparently these are a great variety for pickling, but I have never tried.
This Week’s Pick List:
Eggs
Red Gold New Potatoes
Candy and Red Long of Tropea Onions
Alto Leeks (Last week)
Evergreen Hardy Scallions
Yaya Carrots
Rhonda Beets
Pink Beauty Radish
Hakurei Turnips
Solaris Fennel
Diamond, Money Maker, Beatrice, Purple Shine, and Shimoda Eggplant
Dark Star, Yellowfin, and Cocozelle Summer Squash
Mideast Peace, Silver Slicer, Sweet Marketmore, and Addis Pickle Cucumbers
Taiwan Flat and Caraflex Cabbage
Emiko Napa Cabbage
Rainbow Lacinato and Old Growth Palm Kale
Champion Collards
Ruby Red Chard
Parsley, Basil, Cilantro, and Dill
Head Lettuce
Caiman Tomatoes
Aura, Glow, and Jimmy Nardello peppers
Albion Strawberries
Pick your own: padron and shishito peppers, jade and dragon langerie beans. Along with the flowers, there are shiso, purple and thai basil in the annual field.
Saltonstall Olive Oil (Please bring your own jars!)
Revolution Bread (Friday only!)
Filigreen Farm Peaches (Tuesday only!)
MOUTABAL
2 eggplants
4 tbsp of tahini
4 tbsp of Greek yoghurt
1 lemon, juiced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp table salt
To begin, use a fork to prick the skins of the eggplants several times - this will stop them exploding as they cook
Place over a direct flame for 20 minutes (or until soft) until charred all over to help achieve a wonderfully smoky flavour. Allow to cool for 20 minutes
Carefully peel the eggplants, placing the flesh into a bowl and reserving as much of the charred skin as you can. Gently stir in the garlic, tahini, yoghurt, lemon juice and salt until combined. Season to taste
Add to serving bowls and scatter over garnishes of your choice. Serve warm or cold with pitta bread