Eggplant

Eggplant? Did you say ratatouille?

At least one of your favorite farm market vegetable growers has got eggplant for sale this week.

And that means your first batch of season fresh ratatouille can not be far behind.

All of the key ingriedients for ratatouille are now available fresh and local: tomatoes, onions, zucchini, bell peppers and, of course, eggplant.

When you think of eggplant, you think first of the oval, black-skinned cultivar pictured above known as 'Black Beauty.' That is the classic eggplant with its rich, complex flavor and firm texture even after cooking.

But don't ignore the other eggplants out there. This week you will find Japanese and Chinese eggplant cultivars, such as 'Little Fingers' and 'Pingtung Long'--slimmer and more elongated than 'Black Beauty', and you should begin to see some of the white skinned cultivars such as 'Caspar' and 'Easter Egg.'

Whatever variety you choose, the freshest eggplant should have a shiny skin and should be firm to the touch, not spongy.

If you are looking up eggplant recipes in the cookbook, you might find them under 'aubergine,' the British name for eggplant, and that name comes from the French name for eggplant which is--what else-- 'aubergine.'

Which brings us to ratatouille, the traditional French Provencal vegetable stew. The dish gets its name from the French touiller which means to stir, and from a French Army slang word "rat" which means chunky stew. Well, you prepare ratatouille like this, slice tomatoes, onions, zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, add bits of of herbs de provence and a little basil: sautee all in olive oil. Want to see how Julia Child prepared ratatouille, click here.

Ratatouille is a great meal by itself, but it's divine when accompanied by rice or potatoes and French bread.

Yum!

Now, one more thing. Just so you have it on the record: Yes, the eggplant is a fruit not a vegetable.

Botanically speaking a fruit is the ripened ovary--including the seeds--of a flowering plant. That means that many foods called vegetables when cooking are actually fruits. That list would include squash, pumpkin, cucumber, sweet pepper, tomato and eggplant.

If you look at that list, it includes almost all of the ingredeints for ratatouille. Does that make ratatouille technically a kind of fruit salad? No, beause culinary speaking, a fruit is usually any sweet tasting plant with seeds. (So let's just forget about rhubarb for the moment.)

Enough digression, on to the farm market for eggplant!

Broccoli

Quick! Name an edible flower!

Ok, which one did you name: nasturtium, pansy, viola, marigold or lavender, day lily, carnation or sage? The petals of each of those can be added to a salad for both taste and show. There are dozens of flowers that are edible.

But did you name the most commonly eaten flower of all?

If you said broccoli, you’re right.

Millions of pounds of broccoli are eaten around the world every year. A relative of the cabbage, broccoli is one of the most accepted vegetables anywhere. If you think about it for a minute or two, it’s easy to understand why.

First, broccoli bears over a very long season. Generally, broccoli is a cool season vegetable, meaning it can get its start early in the year, even before the last frost in spring. As well, broccoli can be planted in late summer or fall for crops in winter or early spring. And where the summers stay cool, broccoli is very much a summer vegetable.

Second, broccoli is good for you. One large cooked stalk will provide one-and-a-half times the vitamin C needed every day, half the vitamin A, and a good portion of the riboflavin, iron, calcium, potassium and other nutrients you need.

Third, broccoli tastes good. It’s good crunchy raw or cooked just to the point where it’s tender or “al dente.” But that’s nothing new. One of ancient Romans most famous food writers, Pliny the Elder, was raving about broccoli way back in the second century.

Broccoli is a biennial, which means its full life is about two years. But it’s in the first year, in fact, in the first 40-90 days, that most varieties of broccoli grow leaves and form flower heads. That’s the part you eat.

The key to buying broccoli at the farm market is to choose stalks that are tender and firm, not woody. The flower heads should be tight and compact; dark green or purplish green is fine—that’s simply a matter of the variety you have in hand. The tiny flowers that make up the head should be tightly closed. A broccoli head that has yellow buds, that has started to bloom, is too old.

When produce inspectors grade broccoli they often look at size favorably. But when it comes to flavor, size is not the determining factor, freshness is. How do you know if broccoli is fresh? Well, it should smell fresh. A little practice and you’ll have it down perfectly.

Broccoli, like other cool season vegetables, will bolt into flower as temperatures climb. While that might be good for setting seed and keeping the family lineage in tact, remember, the best tasting broccoli has a tight, compact head with not even a hint of visible yellow bud.

As we approach mid summer and the temperatures climb, the local broccoli season is coming to a close. If you are craving tasty fresh broccoli and want to have yours in hand before it’s too late, get going.

...More About Organic and Local

Oganic food. Fresh food. Local food.

The debate is sure to catch your ear once you've tuned in to what you eat.

Right now there is a fascinating online exchange going on between the well-known and best selling author Michael Pollan (who, in April, published "The Omnivore's Delight," a critque of the organic food scene) and John P. Mckey, the co-founder and chief executive of Whole Food Market.

You might imagine that Pollan and Mckey are on the same side of the fence.

Yeah, well, sort of.

To read the full exchange see Mckey's blog at the Whole Food Market web site.

Mesclun: The French Mix

July 14, Bastille Day! On this day in 1789 the citizens of Paris captured the great Bastille fortress long used by kings to imprison those who displeased them. With the symbol of royal tyranny in the hands of the people, the French Revolution was on!

If you are watching Le Tour de France this afternoon and don't plan to leave much time to prepare the evening meal before heading out for this evening's fireworks, consider putting together one of these traditional French salads: Provencal Mesclun, Mesclun or Nicoise.

Mesclun is the French word for "mixture." Mesclun is a mix of tender, young salad green leaves.

Mesclun mixes usually include a variety of lettuces and European and Asian salad greens that grow under similar conditions, have similar rates of maturity, and taste good together. Greens can be mixed by season, by flavor, by color, or by where they are grown. Mesclun leaves are usually clipped when only a few centimeters (inches) tall.

Here is your guide to these traditional French salad mixes:

Provencal Mesclun (originated in Provence, France): includes lettuce, fine curled endive, rocket and chervil. The traditional recipe calls for one part arugula, two parts chervil, one part curly endive, and four parts lettuce. It is made up entirely of leaves, mild tasting or zesty.

Mesclun (originated in northern France): Various lettuces and endive cultivars and cress, corn salad, and spinach.

Nicoise (originated in Nice, France): Mediterranean salad leaves including dandelion, upland cress, rocket, chicory, lettuce and curly endive.

Well, there you are! Take along a cheese, a fresh fruit, a mineral water and you have a light repast for the holiday.

Bon appetit!

Farm Market Fresh

If you are heading out to the farm market this weekend, here's this week's update on the fresh vegetables and fruits your growers are likely to have on hand:

First-of-season: Apricots, cucumbers, snow peas, shelling peas, yellow waxed beans, green beans, melons, sqaush blossoms, red onions, sweet yellow onions, garlic, radishes, summer squash and zucchini.

Peak-of-season: Arugula, beets, bok choy, cabbage, cilantro, carrots, chard, cauliflower, collards, green onions, kale, leeks, leaf lettuce, salad mix and spinach.

End-of-season: Apples, broccoli, celery, cherries, fava beans, lemons, scallions, oranges, nectarines, peaches, grapefruit, turnips and vegetable starts.

Yes, vegetable starts. If you are growing vegetables at home but didn't get your seeds in the ground earlier this spring, vegetables already started in the grower's greenhouse may be your best bet to get a home harvest in before the end of the season. Most starts should take off without a hitch, but avoid starts that are lanky or root bound.

Remember, this list reflects seasonality at the farm market I frequent in Sonoma, California, USDA Zone 9. The growers at your farm market can tell you how seasonality may vary where you are--probably not more than a few weeks.

Enjoy the market!

Sweet Basil

Well, here we are in the middle of basil season.

Of course, you want the freshest basil.

The delicate aroma. The flavor of spicy cloves.

A perfect summer salad: sliced fresh tomatoes dressed with a little oil and lemon juice served with a sprinkling of fresh basil leaves chopped very fine. Besides its affinity for tomatoes, you will find basil the perfect match for fish and egg dishes as well.

Your key to fresh basil? Of course, grow your own. Basil grows easily in any climate that does not run to extremes of temperatures. It prefers heat over cold. So from spring until the first fall frost, basil will thrive in most well-drained soils. Keep the soil moist, but avoid over watering. Basil is not demanding. It takes hardly any garden space and will thrive in a small pot in a sunny kitchen window.

But if you can't grow your own or your crop has just run out, here's your key to fresh basil at the farmers' market or produce stand. Ask the produce lady for the bunch that has not yet been put on display, the bunch still snug in the shipping box or behind the counter. Basil is highly perishable. The more it's handled the less fresh basil will be. It's that simple.

When you get home, wrap the root end of the bunch in a wet paper towel and seal it in a plastic bag and place it in the refrigerator. It will keep for a couple of days.

Better yet, enjoy fresh basil right away!