eggplant

eggplant blossoms

Another sign that summer is finally approaching: my eggplants have started to bloom. They're a bit mud spattered, but seem to be enjoying the sunny blue sky today.

an eggplant that was

My Mom saw this eggplant in my garden this evening and asked if she could pick it for our dinner. Sometimes I think things look too nice to pick. But what can you say to your mother? It was very nice grilled.

topic: eggplant

blooming eggplants

topic: eggplant

Eggplant parmasan

I finally made eggplant parmigiana tonight. It was fantastic! I like a recipe from "The Romagnoli's Table", with my modifications.

Fried Eggplant: 3 medium eggplant, salt, flour, olive oil

Sauce: 4 halved garlic cloves, 1 small chopped onion, 1 24 oz can chopped tomatoes, 6-8 big basil leaves, some salt, 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup grated parmasan cheese

Topping: 1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs, 1 sliced fresh tomato

Preheat oven to 350. Slice eggplant into long 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices. Salt liberally. Let stand 20 minutes. Meanwhile, make sauce: Saute onion and garlic until golden. Add canned tomatoes, basil and salt. Simmer 15 minutes. Scrape salt off eggplant, then rinse, lightly squeeze and pat dry. Dredge in flour and fry oil intil golden. Drain on paper towels. In baking dish, layer tomato sauce, fried eggplant, some mozzarella and parmasan cheese. Repeat these layers until everything is used up ending with sauce. Layer on tomato slices then top with bread crumbs and a little cheese. Bake for 15-30 minutes, or until bubbly and golden.

My eggplant variety this year is called "Classic". Its just what they had at my local nursery this spring. Its described as a midseason hybrid with deep purple-black fruit, elongated teardrop shape and vigorous plants that stand up well to stress.

I just noticed that a Cornell site has a great list of varities of vegetables with ratings and sources. "Classic" is one of the 99 varieties of eggplants they list! It is rated 4 of 5 points. I think I'll check out this site more when I'm thinking about seeds in mid-winter.

topic: eggplant

Skippy's vegetable recipes

Eggplants

I haven't picked any eggplants yet, but I will soon. These were supposed to be Classic, an oval Italian type, but they look more like a longer oriental variety.

This year, instead of using the little fences to edge my garden, I have used them next to plants as supports. They are holding up my veronica, my snapdragons and my eggplants. They work well at keeping the fruit off the ground.

topic: eggplant

Eggplants

Or aubergines (Solanum melongena).

topic: eggplant

Eggplant blossom

My eggplants are tucked in among my perennials this year in hopes that this will keep them warmer. I have had terrible luck with eggplants in the past few years. I keep trying. They are one of the most interesting vegetable plants.

topic: eggplant