Weekly Share Sept 2nd – 8th

Arugula
Braising Mix (mizuna, mustards, chard, & kale)
Okra
Thai Box: Thai Eggplant (Kermit & Violet Prince), Tomato, Sweet Pepper, Khmer Thai Chiles (very hot), Garlic, Thai basil & Shiso (Perilla)
And a little something extra

Greens are returning bit by bit; but the real treat this week is the“Thai Box”. We absolutely love cooking Thai food, with its chile heat, rich flavors, and intense use of herbs and spices. Our wild Perilla (Shiso) grows all over the farm and we thought you might enjoy trying it out, it goes wonderfully alongside Thai basil and mint in a salad roll or lettuce wrap; but for an even better preparation, check out the kimchi recipe below from Maangchi, a fabulous Korean food blog. The small round Thai eggplants can be absolutely amazing if handled correctly, but it seems people either love them or hate them. So our suggestion is to use them as they have been intended, try some of the recipes below and do not use them in a preparation that you would for larger eggplants. These little eggplants are supposed to be cooked on medium high or high heat generally either boiled or braised in a curry or sliced and fried. Our absolute favorite recipe is the first one, but all are delicious. Enjoy the share…. Brian and Autumn

Eggplant with Thai Basil

1 lb eggplant, cut into ½-inch slices
4-5 cloves garlic
1-2 medium sized fresh red or green chilies (or sweet bell pepper for the meek)
1 Tbsp light soy sauce or tamari
2 Tbsp dark soy sauce
2 Tbsp palm sugar or dark brown sugar
1 bunch Thai basil

Slice the eggplant into ½ inch rounds and fry them over medium high in a wide skillet with ¼ inch of canola or other frying oil. When things get going, the eggplant slices will absorb the oil and you will gradually see it penetrate through to the top.  Make sure that they don’t get too brown on the bottom before this happens.  If the eggplant slices absorb all the oil and still don’t look wet, you must add more—but don’t worry, because they will release much of it as they cook.  When they look like they have absorbed enough oil and they start to get nice and brown on the bottom, flip them over and brown them on the other side.  If the pan is dry at this point, don’t add more oil because the slices have absorbed enough to fry themselves.  When they’re done, drain the slices on paper towels

Meanwhile, cut the garlic into slices and the chilies into diagonal rings.  When the eggplant is ready, remove it and add 2 Tbsp of fresh oil to the pan, add the garlic and half the chilies, and stir-fry until the garlic is golden.  Add the soy sauces and sugar, stir for about 30 seconds until the sugar starts to bubble, and return the eggplant to the pan.  Add torn basil leaves, stir and serve, garnished with the rest of the chilies (if you dare!)

Easy Green Curry with Pork – Gkaeng Kiow Wan Moo 

Eggplant Green Curry

Tom Kha Gai without the Gai – Vegan Thai coconut soup 

Perilla Leaf Kimchi