Today’s challenge is convincing my 5-year-old, Jonah, to try eggplant. He has been keeping careful watch on the purple jewel growing in our front yard all week, and today, he proudly proclaimed it was time to pick it. But harvesting and eating are two different things, and for Jonah—who truly believes that a red gummy bear has tomato in it—this will be a toughie!
Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables, but it’s true that it’s a veggie that must be prepared thoughtfully. I love a summer ratatouille with eggplant, squash and zucchini, all of which can be grown in your back yard; but making the veggie kid-friendly takes some serious experimentation and exercises in child psychology!
I went with a French fry theme—knowing that Jonah thinks I consider French fries junk food—and it worked like a charm! He took the bait and was willing to try French-fried anything!
Yes, this particular recipe calls for canola oil, but remember you aren’t eating a big bag of them. I find that they make a perfect side dish to a simple filet of grilled fish or chicken, and I plan to try them out as an appetizer at my next get-together.
Enjoy!
Eggplant fries with Garlic Aioli
1 large eggplant, peeled and cut lengthwise into long slices
2 eggs
½ cup milk
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons Italian or Creole seasoning
6 cups canola oil
1 cup low-fat mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Beat eggs and milk together in one bowl. Mix flour and seasoning in another bowl. Heat the oil in a heavy-duty, tall pot for about 5 minutes. Dip eggplant slices in flour, shake off excess, and dip in egg mixture. Dip once more in flour and fry until golden brown on all sides. Drain on paper towels. Salt and pepper to taste. Keep fries warm in a 250-degree oven until you’re ready to serve.
To make the garlic aioli, blend mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice and salt and pepper in a food processor. Serve with eggplant fries to dip.
July 6th, 2009
Holy Guacamole! Is that an actual eggplant growing in my front yard?
I woke up today and went for my regular walk through “the farm,” as I affectionately call my four raised boxes, and it was like everything changed overnight!
The beautiful purple flower I admired a couple days prior has turned into a baby eggplant, the squash plant has produced gorgeous yellow blossoms, the eight tomato plants are going nuts, the watermelon vines are practically snaking into the street, and there are enough herbs to supply my restaurant salad dressings for weeks.
But the best part of all is watching my neighbors’ smiling responses as they walk their dogs in the evening. People are so happy as they pass by, and as soon as things ripen, I plan to leave a little table with a basket for neighbors to help themselves to what I have left for them! I can’t wait!
July 1st, 2009
Holy Cannoli, it’s a radish! That’s right, the girl with the black thumb and absolutely no luck with gardening skills of any kind has picked her first handful of radishes!
Jenny Levison proudly displays her first harvest (radishes!) from her organic garden.
I am so impressed with myself that I can’t stand it! It has been one month since we planted Farmer D’s garden extraordinaire, and all that is happening is far-out fantastic.
Less than a month ago, this garden space included only seeds and tiny plants.
I have eight—count ‘em eight—varieties of tomatoes growing at a super speed, incredible beans, eggplant, Sunflowers, squash, zucchini and a slew of peppers from poblano to jalapeno. The herb garden is abundant enough to start an herbal tea store.
I am simply beside myself at the growth, and I have done nothing but water! Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it, but I could be the poster child for gardening for dummies!
Jenny shows us around her garden, where watermelon vines (planted from seed) have grown so prolifically they’re in the yard! In the background, tomato plants have grown to a height of four feet—they were only about six inches when planted in mid-May!
Garden update video Jenny Levison’s organic garden
June 18th, 2009
Editor’s note: There’s an increasing awareness of the power of locally-grown foods—even the White House has launched its own organic garden. In turn, the slow food and the farm-to-table movements have gained momentum in recent years. As a result, we’ve asked Jenny Levison, a star on the local culinary scene with her restaurant, Souper Jenny, to keep a journal of her seasonal garden. Throughout the summer, she’ll be sharing her triumphs and tribulations of home gardening. We hope it inspires you to partake of summer’s organic bounty…or try your hand at growing your own
Oy, I am three weeks into my new 100 percent organic vegetable garden and my five-year-old and I are on the same page. What are we doing?! I am a first-time, novice gardener and laugh every day when I walk around my newly raised beds, wondering if I have killed anything yet! Lo and behold, Farmer D, the local organic farming expert who stopped by to help me on my quest, was right! All it takes is water and a snip here and there and these things actually grow!
Farmer D gives me the rundown on what it takes to grow a successful organic garden.
I allowed Farmer D to choose what would grow best so we have three plots full of all different kinds of tomatoes, zucchini, squash, eggplant, beans, watermelon, peppers from poblano to Jalapeno, radishes, beets and a huge variety of herbs. After three weeks and all this rain it’s been a snap!
The two of us get to work, surrounding each small planting with soft earth.
Me getting the hang of it. It's easy!
The crops from seeds are sprouting and starting to look like something and the tomato plants are growing on their trellis. I do confess that I have called Farmer D and bribed him with dinner if he will come by and make sure everything looks OK and give us a little gardening 101. I think he is wondering why I don’t know anything about this, but then again, can he make My Dad’s Turkey Chili?
June 1st, 2009
