It is Eggplant Time

Eggplant is a vegetable that we don't buy, only grow in the garden.  This always makes eggplant season an extra special treat in our household.

 This variety of eggplants grow in wonderful little clusters, remniscent of grapes.

This year the eggplants had a slow start because of the cool, moist spring/early summer that we experienced.  Same for the rest of the warm weather crops.  They're banging along super well now though, soaking up all these 90 degree summer days.

Bean patties at center and then moving clockwise we have rice, mashed potato-eggplant, and cashew stuffed eggplants. 

Last week Matt and I ate eggplant two ways for dinner--baby eggplants stuffed with ground cashews and basil and this wonderful concotion that is half roasted eggplant and half mashed potaotes, heavily spiced with chilies and ginger.  Both are from the trusty 660 Curries cookbook.  We paired this eggplant doubleheader with some breaded pinto bean patties.  

A different angle on that same meal.

Mmmmmmmmm....so much eggplanty goodness in one meal.  The mashed-eggplant-potatoes, in particular, makes my tastebuds awash pleasure.  I love that one.

This year we're growing Early Purple Long, Fairytale, and Nadia eggplant varieties.  The first two are the Asian kind.  We really like Purple Long and have grown that for many years. The Fairytale are newer to us, but so far very productive and tasty.  The Nadia is a very productive standard eggplant.

We have a wildflower bed that has mostly become a brown eyed susan bed this year.  Ginger has a little hollow in there where she likes to nap.  She's pretty ruthless about flattening out little nooks for herself in the garden, to Matt's occasional dismay.