The eggplant crop has been extraordinary this year. The changes the hubby made to the garden have really helped with a plant that likes things warm. The plants are very coddled; they get covered every night so that they stay warm.
He brought in about 5lbs last night that will get made into eggplant tapenade and canned. Eggplant is a difficult vegetable to put up; it does not freeze well, it does not keep well so I had to search to find a way to deal with all of these eggplants. I will show the step by step process next week. It’s a delicious spread for crackers and it makes an excellent starter for a sauce for pasta. I have also used it to stuff chicken and to flavor risotto. One becomes a clever cook when presented with a bountiful garden year.
I also love the eggplant plants. I keep saying they would make a beautiful hedgerow. The gorgeous green leaves with the delicate purple flowers.
Such a lovely combination. I don’t know how many plants he started in the basement and then transplanted to the garden but I do know there were two different kinds; the long, thin Japanese eggplant and the round, fat globe eggplant.
This years’ harvest about tripled the combined harvests from the past two years so that tells you how effective the hoops and covering were.
There are still quite a few little eggplants still growing so the hubby thinks I’ll have another big bag full in a couple of days. As long as we don’t get a killing frost there should be eggplants for a few more weeks.
What a treat! My favorite way to eat eggplant is to just cut it into cubes, sprinkle it with a bit of salt and olive oil and roast it in the oven at 350° until it’s nice and soft. It gets a lovely, creamy texture and a delightful, sweet taste. YUM!
