A Dainty, Delightful Eggplant

It is only August but already I am detecting signs of autumn. On my walk to the mailbox the other day I found the first acorn in the driveway; when I was at the market I found lightly covered Sycamore leaves had started to fall. Even my Japanese Anemones have blossoms. Never mind we haven't had summer yet; fall seems to be almost here. If you live in zone 8 and haven't started your winter garden yet, it is time to do so.




Check with a local advisor for what and when to plant in your area. Your county extension is a good source for that kind of information. My suggestion is to try something new. If you have never planted Kohlrabi, this would be the time. You can slice it for salads, use as crudite, or cook it, mash it, or roast it with the chicken.








Early in spring I went to the annual plant sale held by the Harvest for the Hungry group. These are people who keep a good size, year around, garden to grow fresh vegetables which are distributed to those in need. Each year they have a sale of plants grown by talented amateurs. I had gone to seek peppers; they have had an interesting assortment in the past. I arrived about 30 minutes after opening and there were no peppers. The table was empty. Obviously this is no longer a source for a lucky few; everyone who has a garden seemed to be there. I wandered about looking to see what else might interest. I came upon an eggplant called Gretel. The eggplant seedlings I had started were not doing well and it was doubtful they were going to make it to the garden. I picked up the last two of these never before heard of eggplants. And what a treat!









Gretel, it turns out is a white eggplant with fruit that grows like the Asian eggplants but is much smaller. My research told me that it is best picked when about four inches long. The plant is beautiful, but then all eggplants are beautiful; the flowers are endearing, a pale violet against dusty green leaves. The fruit hangs in clusters.




It is obvious that these are rather special, so, what to do with them? Because they were so small I chose to broil them. They take a mere 10 minutes to cook to soft. I am sure they could also be done on an outdoor grill.






Recipe





Broiled Eggplant Fingers

Serves two .. maybe. (I could eat them all if no one was looking.)


6 Gretel eggplants, cut in half lengthwise
Oil


In a small bowl mix together:

1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground coriander seeds
Salt and freshly ground pepper
A tiny sprinkling of ground chipotle (or cayenne)


Turn on the oven broiler

In an oven proof dish or pan, drizzle oil. Turn the cut vegetable over and over in the oil to be sure it is well coated. You don't need a lot of oil, but they do need to be thoroughly coated. With the cut side upward sprinkle the spice mixture over, covering completely. Set about 5 inches below the broiler heat source. Check for doneness with a sharp fork tine. It should take about 10 minutes. Serve immediately, or set aside to be served at room temperature. Having left the skin on they can be picked up without sagging and eaten as finger food.





These will go well with a vindaloo, pork roast or even roast chicken.







Tip I am inclined to use Chipotle rather than cayenne for most recipes these days. I find it has a more complex flavor whereas cayenne seems to have just heat.

The eggplant here is not peeled. The skins are edible and have just enough strength to keep the serving steady should you want to make this finger food.

Tomato Update

Early this morning I checked that big green tomato. It really has some color now. It "starred" weeks ago. Most tomatoes produce a white star on the blossom end, signaling they are on their way to ripening. It is at this point the commercial growers pick their tomatoes and haul them off the fields. They are then ripened artificially. So, if a hurricane were coming or some other disaster impending. I could have picked that tomato and it would have eventually ripened in the house. I would then have the same kind of tomato I can buy at the supermarket. I might do that at the very end of the season. But since no frost is on the horizon, I will wait... patiently, if I can.

Meet a gardener in Sonoma County and the first question is not "how are you?" it is "pick any tomatoes yet?" It is the topic of conversation at the Farmer's Markets, local blogs and even the garden columnist of the newspaper. I do have a fair amount of cherry tomatoes, so I am not totally bereft. When I pick that big one I will let you know.