The Harvest

These are some eggplants that I picked from my garden this afternoon. As you can see there are four different varieties. Years ago when I first started a garden and tried to grow eggplants...the black flea beetle bugs got them and they didn't make it so I didn't try again till years later. The past two years I have had great luck with them. I find that the better the soil and the more you fertilize them with a booster ...such as a seaweed emulsion...that they are more robust and resist disease.

I also used to think that eggplants were only good to use for eggplant parmesan but am finding many new ways of using them. I have substituted them for the broccoli in my cheesy brown rice casserole http://tinyurl.com/3x3ddry and found that it worked very well. I also slice the eggplants and layer them with tomatoes and or summer squash, add some herbs, italian dressing and grated cheese for a perfect side dish.

Tomorrow I am going to try drying them in my Nesco American Harvest FD-1010 Gardenmaster Food Dehydrator to use this winter in soups, stews and casseroles.

I love trying the different heirloom vegetables, planting the seeds, watching them grow, marvelling at their rich colors and varied shapes. I also enjoy preserving them and trying my hand at different recipes. If you have any fairly simple eggplant recipes, that you'd like to share.....click on the comment button and post if you'd like.