C.S.A. Week 11

The sound of the rain was amplified in the greenhouse, where we spent the day today. Two beds of tomatoes got released from their string trellises, pulled from the ground, and dragged to the compost pile. Next the landscape fabric was taken up and folded for next year. Kyle added compost and fertilizer to each bed and then raked them smooth, laid drip tape and turned the water on. I dug three shallow trenches in one bed with a hoe and sprinkled arugula seed in each one, then covered them back up with a light layer of soil. The other bed became a long row of baby spinach seedlings, gently removed from their starter trays and then set into the ground. The three remaining beds of tomatoes will remain for a few weeks longer, until the rest of the winter green seedlings have sized up and are ready. It’s always a mix of excitement and disappointment to pull the tomatoes. They put on such impressive growth over the course of just a few months, a shame to pull them before a frost, but we are pressured by our upcoming winter shares to transition to greens by mid-September and in that way, it is exciting thinking of food to come.

In the share:

• Red Onions

• Leeks

• Sweet Peppers

• Eggplant

• Red Russian Kale

• Sungold Tomatoes

• Carrots

PAN ROASTED EGGPLANT

• 1 eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika

• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

• 1 teaspoon salt

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

• Step 2

  Place eggplant slices in a single layer on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder, smoked paprika, and Italian seasoning.

• Step 3

  Roast in the preheated oven until golden and crispy, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with salt.