How Many Eggplant Plants would you Plant?

How many Eggplant Plants would you Plant? (say that three times fast)

One of the interesting aspects of our Farmers’ Market is that in addition to fresh produce, meats, cheese, and baked items, you can also find plenty of non-edible things to purchase.  Crafts such as handmade bags and crocheted items, books, toys, dishes, antiques, and other collectables are just a few of the things available.  Dorothy Headley was a long-time indoor vendor of such items.  Due to health reasons she will no longer be able to come to market.  We want to thank her for her many years of dedication and will miss her very much.

            On Sunday I was able to visit the farm of my good friend Becky.  She runs a produce operation similar to the size of mine and sells at markets in Columbus.  She gave me a tour of her fields and as we approached the eggplant patch she laughingly said, “What was I thinking?”  I had to laugh a little too when I saw all of the eggplants hanging thickly from the plants.  I had just been thinking I may have planted too many eggplants as I was assessing my garden, but here was Becky with at least three times as many.  However, I know that she is a great saleswoman so I doubt she’ll have much trouble selling them all at those busy big city markets.

            I am growing over five varieties of eggplant ranging from the normal dark purple varieties, to striped Italian heirloom varieties, and long skinny Asian varieties.  Becky too, had several varieties, and surprisingly, none of them overlapped with the kinds that I am growing.  That just shows one of the great advantages to shopping at Farmers Market as opposed to the grocery store.  You are offered so many more choices.  You can speak with the farmer and learn about the differences and similarities between each variety of vegetable and choose the one best suited to your planned use.  Very soon, I am going to set up an eggplant taste-test and have my friends help me discern the flavor subtleties of each type.  We have already begun doing this with all of the different varieties of heirloom tomatoes.

The following eggplant recipe is fairly quick and simple and makes a great appetizer.  If you are not familiar with the name, it is a spread similar to hummus but is made with roasted eggplant rather than chick peas.  I got the recipe from Rea Drummond (www.thepioneerwoman.com)   Her blog shows the process of making it picture by picture if you are more of a visual learner.

Baba Ghanoush, Baby!

·        3 whole medium eggplants

·        4 Tblsp. Tahini

·        4 cloves garlic, finely minced

·        ¼ cups lemon juice

·        3 Tblsp. Olive Oil

·        1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced

·        Salt and pepper to taste

Prick the surface of each eggplant several times with a fork (important!)  On the grill or under the broiler (set to high) blacken/char the eggplant for about 25 min.  You want the skin to be completely shriveled and dark and the eggplant almost fall-apart tender.  Set them aside to cool slightly.  When cool, peel off skin enough to get a spoon into each eggplant and scrape out the flesh into a bowl.  Mash eggplant with a fork--try to get a relatively smooth texture.  Add in all other ingredients, stirring and tasting before adjusting seasonings or other ingredients.  Don’t under salt.  Serve with pita triangles, baguette slices, chips, or crusty French bread.