Elegant Eggplant

My son Ammon (17) shows the beautiful eggplants he grew in our Square Foot Garden

This is the very first year of my life that we’ve been able to succeed in growing eggplant, even though we have a big garden every year. They are an amazing plant, with large lavender flowers, and it’s so fun to watch their “eggs” grow day by day. Best of all, they taste so delicious! Eggplant makes a great meat substitute (taste-wise). Tonight for dinner, we picked and ate our eggplants and they were so yummy, I just had to share it with you!

When you pick eggplant, you have to have a sharp knife or some clippers because the stem almost seems woody. There are some spikes on the plant too, so watch out. Wash and slice the eggplant into thick steaks.

You’re supposed to pick eggplant anytime after it is 6″ long, but before it gets so big that the seeds are too big. This eggplant is just right. Isn’t it an unusual and elegant vegetable?

Dip the eggplant slices in beaten egg and then dredge in mixture of whole wheat flour, a few shakes of garlic powder, Italian seasoning and salt. Cook over medium high heat in a frying pan with a little olive oil, turning just once, when the underside is crisp. Cook until the eggplant feels tender inside when you fork it—about 15-20 minutes.

Oooh, yum!