Eggplant Fries

I did not eat eggplant as a child.  My grandma was the only person in the family that liked it so no one else ever bought any.  Now that summer is here my CSA Farmer has a bunch of different types of eggplant and I decided that it was time to try something new.

This recipe comes right from the farm.  My farmer told me that this is her favorite way to eat eggplant.  She'll even make this instead of french fries.  I bet that plenty of kids out there would eat these (if they didn't know what they were made of).

Eggplant Fries:
(my CSA Farmer, Kathy)

1-2 eggplant, depending on how many people you're feeding
2 egg whites (or 1 whole egg, beaten)
1 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
enough vegetable oil to fry

Heat your oil over medium high heat in a cast iron pot or use a counter top fryer.

Set up a couple of bowls and put the egg into one bowl and the bread crumbs into another.  Add the chili powder to the egg and mix together.

Cut each eggplant into french fry shapes.  Dip each eggplant fry into the egg and then into the breadcrumbs.  Fry up the eggplant until nice and golden brown.  Let drip dry on paper towels or a metal rack and sprinkle with salt.

They taste great with ranch dressing.

My trip to the farmer's market

One of my favorite memories when I was a kid was going to the farmer's market.  Back then they weren't as popular as they are now and the county I lived in only had one.  It's still the one I go to, although not as much as I probably should.

Mr. T and I have been thinking about joining a Community Supported Agriculture group, also known as a CSA.  Basically CSAs are a great way to know where your food is coming from.  You buy produce (and other items based on what your "contract" is) directly from the farm(s) of your choice.  The farmer's benefit because they get more income to continue to grow and do what they do. 

Graham Farms is the farm that we will be doing our CSA with.  They're been in business for about 18 years and I like how they do their CSAs.  You pre-pay into your account with them.  They give you a 10% bonus and e-mail you each week with a list of what they will have at the market.   You e-mail them back with what you want and they bag it up.  Graham Farms has jams, jellies, pickles, plants, local honey, and pork products (I got bacon this week).

Here's my haul from this week.

Pink Grapefruit, Sugar Snap Peas, Broccoli Flower (or something like that), Hydroponic lettuce, and Honey Cured Bacon!!!