Asters

Fall is beautiful.  Aster studded  fields, crimson forests, pumpkins filling the landscape.

Bountiful harvests, overfull refrigerators, big CSA boxes, running out of veggie space,  AARRGGHH!

At this time of the year, a healthy habit like CSA membership can actually become stressful.  But remember that there is no requirement to eat every morsel.  In the end, you are certainly serving the planet and your health better than if you ate conventionally.

My motto has always been:  Use what you can, preserve some of the rest (you’ll be thankful in February!), donate if there is a lot, and compost anything that turns brown or fuzzy.  Not so hard after all.

In the past month, I have frozen green beans and sweet corn, canned tomatoes and pickles, dehydrated dill and parsley, and put squash and onions in cold storage…  My refrigerator still looks terrible, but (sadly and happily) this too shall pass.  That’s part of the joy and sorrow of seasonality.

Even the Second Fridge is Full

The last football game, I decided to eliminate my eggplant en masse by serving up a big batch of fried eggplant.   If you serve it with marinara sauce (homemade or out of a jar), it even counts as two servings of vegetables.  Imagine that—a unique and delicious snack that meets almost half of your five a day goal and makes room for more zucchini!  Many recipes batter the eggplant using egg, but this version is even faster and easier.

Here are the instructions.

Easiest Fried Eggplant Strips

Ingredients

• Eggplant (1/2 of a large eggplant, per person)
• Salt
• 1/4 c flour or more depending on number of eggplants (whole wheat works great for this)
• Oil for sautéing

Directions

1.  Slice eggplant into rounds.  For thinner eggplants, slice on the diagonal to get larger pieces.

Slice Eggplant into Rounds

2.  Salt the eggplant rounds on each side and let sit until beads of water begin to appear.

Salt Eggplant

3.  Cut the rounds into strips, then drop in batches into a bag of flour, shaking to coat.

Flour Eggplant

4.  Pan sauté on medium high heat until golden brown.

Fry Eggplant

5.  Drain on paper  towels (or even better, washable kitchen rags).  Salt to taste.

6.  Serve with or without Marinara sauce.  Careful, they’re hot!

As I mentioned, we enjoyed these during the football game and my college daughter joined us from Scotland via Skype.  Alas, eggplant does not get through the wires like the game!

Watching Packers via Skype