I haven't neglected the garden quite as much as I have this blog, but close. It's still far too hot to enjoy working outside, with highs still over 110 almost daily. This time of year, we also add humidity to the mix. It's definitely not a dry heat....it feels more like a sauna than an oven outdoors.
Most vegetables have long given up any attempt to stay alive, but Armenian cucumbers and eggplants apparently love the heat. I picked these Japanese eggplant from one plant today, and the Armenian cucumber was hiding in an unexpected location, allowing it to grow to giant size before I spotted it. The nice thing about Armenian cucumbers (which are more closely related to melons than traditional cucumbers) is that they still taste good even at this size. They never turn bitter and don't require peeling. Just wash, slice, maybe take the seeds out when they're this big, and enjoy dipping into a favorite veggie dip.
I usually make crockpot eggplant parmigiana with the eggplant. It's not necessary to peel or fry the eggplant; just slice into rounds, put in the crockpot and add a jar of spaghetti sauce. About an hour or so from serving time, top with grated mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. However, since Mike is trying to restrict his sodium intake, I went looking on the internet for recipes that didn't use processed spaghetti sauce or a lot of cheese. I found this recipe for a vegan eggplant stew and decided to use it as a base for tonight's dinner. Instead of canned tomatoes, I'm using ones from our garden than I froze earlier this summer, and I'm going to add some fresh basil (another plant that likes the heat) in addition to the Italian seasoning suggested in the recipe. And since we aren't philosophically vegan, I'll add a little cheese towards the end of its cooking time.
