White Eggplant

PRODUCT INFO Purple eggplants are long and thin, averaging 15-20 centimeters in length and 5 centimeters in diameter. These fruits can be crooked or straight, and its thin outer skin ranges from violet to bright purple. The inner flesh is cotton white, semi-firm, and nearly seedless. Purple eggplants have a mild and sweet flavor without the bitterness associated with eggplant. USES Purple eggplants are best suited for cooked applications such as braising, stir-frying, sauteing and grilling. Their tender flesh cooks quicker than most Purple eggplant varieties, and its flavor and texture will be at its peak when baked. Stir-frying Purple eggplant is the most popular preparation method as the eggplant has a meaty and flavorful texture. Purple eggplant holds up well to spicy, sweet, and savory flavors. Complimentary ingredients include cumin, garlic, ginger, cilantro, fermented beans, chilies, soy sauce, vinegar, mushrooms, onions, sesame oil, chicken, pork, chickpeas, lentils, hardy greens, and summer vegetables such as tomatoes and squashes. Purple eggplant will keep up to one week when stored in a cool and dry place. SEASON Purple Eggplant is available year-round.

PRODUCT INFO Thai eggplants can have an elongated, cylindrical shape to a small, globular shape, averaging 2-3 centimeters in diameter. The outer skin is smooth and glossy and ranges from dark green, light green, to white. The vivid green hues begin at the fruit's stem and then fade to a creamy white in a striping pattern. The inner flesh is pale green to white and contains many small, brown, edible seeds. Thai eggplants are crunchy and mild with a slightly bitter taste. USES Thai eggplants can be consumed in both raw and cooked applications such as grilling, frying, baking, pureeing, stewing, stuffing, and pickling. This eggplant is unique because unlike other eggplant varieties that require cooking, it can be used in raw preparations, such as salads and crudite. The seeds are edible but can be difficult to chew. In cooked applications, Thai eggplants are most commonly used in curries, and when cooked they become soft and soak up the sauce with ease. They can also be sliced and added to stir-fries or battered and fried into a tempura side dish. Thai eggplant pairs well with aromatics such as garlic, ginger, and onions, herbs such as basil, oregano, cilantro and parsley, nightshade family members including tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers, as well as coconut milk, soy sauce, shellfish, and poultry. Thai eggplants will keep up to three days when stored in a cool and dry place. SEASON Thai eggplants are available year-round.

PRODUCT INFO Pea eggplant are small and round, about the size of a pea and one centimeter in diameter. These tiny fruits are arranged in clusters of ten to fifteen bunched together in a fashion similar to grapes and as the fruits ripen their thin skin will turn from light green to yellow. The fruits grow on shrubs that can reach up to sixteen feet in height. The stems and leaves of the pea eggplant are covered in fine hairs, and small hooked thorns and the flowers of the plant are most often white. Each fruit can contain up to two hundred tiny, flat, brown, and edible seeds. pea eggplant range in flavor from bitter to tart when raw, and their texture is exceptionally crunchy. Once cooked they will take on a soft quality and the bitter flavor is minimized. USES Pea eggplant are used in both raw and cooked preparations. When fresh they are popularly used in nam prik kapee, a chili and shrimp paste blend commonly made in Thailand. They can also be pickled, dried, or served raw with dipping sauces. Pea eggplant can be grilled, braised, added to curries, soups, and stews, or tossed whole or chopped into stir-fries. To cut the bitterness, Pea eggplant can be boiled briefly before use. Pea eggplant pair well with mint, turmeric, cumin, cardamom, curry paste, rice, yams, and meats such as poultry and beef. Pea eggplant will keep up to three days when stored in a cool and dry place. SEASONS Pea eggplants are available year-round with peak season during the summer months.

PRODUCT INFO Puffball mushrooms range from small to very large in size, averaging 10-70 centimeters in diameter, and are round, oblong, to oval in shape. Some species are small, golf-ball sized, while others can grow as large as soccer balls. The white fruiting body can be smooth or bear some small scales, warts, or spines and is firm, airy, and spongy. There is also a protective coating that helps keep debris and dirt from entering the flesh. When sliced, the flesh should be pure white and never have any color. Puffball mushrooms are white when young and transition to a yellow-brown when mature and are rendered inedible when they reach this state. There are little to non-existent stems, and the spores are produced internally in the fruiting body. When young, Puffball mushrooms have a mild, nutty, and earthy flavor. Puffball mushrooms contain some phosphorus, manganese, selenium, and clavacin. USES Puffball mushrooms are best suited for cooked applications such as sauteing, pan-frying, and baking. Referred to as the �¢??breakfast mushroom" Puffball mushrooms pair well with egg dishes and are enhanced when sauteing and browned in simple ingredients such as garlic and butter. They can be sliced thinly and rolled with meat and vegetables, chopped into stir-fries, or grilled with marinades. They can also be cut into slices, battered, and fried, sliced and used as noodles in lasagna or ravioli, used as the dough in pizza, chopped into croquettes, blended into hummus, pureed into gravies, or dried and ground into a powder to use as a flavoring agent. The rotund mushrooms can be substituted for tofu or eggplant in many recipes. The flesh readily absorbs accompanying flavors so oil should be used sparingly. Puffball mushrooms pair well with tomatoes, broccoli, beets, rutabagas, radishes, turnips, parmesan cheese, garlic, poultry, scallops, crab meat, and tuna. They do not store well and should be used immediately after harvest. They can also be frozen between sheets of plastic and stored for extended use. Season Puffball mushrooms are available in the late summer through fall.

PRODUCT INFO The Zucchini squash has a uniformly cylindrical shape with little to no taper from its stem to blossom end. It can be harvested when it is at its baby stage or when more mature at up to six to eight inches long. Many growers and chefs note that Zucchini will be at its peak flavor and texture when five to six inches in length. The exterior glossy skin of the Zucchini is vibrant to dark green in color and delicate enough to consume. Summer squash such as Zucchini are harvested when immature for best flavor, as a result their skin is delicate and prone to easily bruising and scratching. Its flesh is creamy white in color with a spongy yet firm texture and faint traces of edible seeds. It offers a sweet summer squash flavor with nuances of black peppercorn and nutty undertones. In addition to the fruit of the Zucchini plant the flower blossoms of Zucchini are also edible and offer a mild, squash like flavor. Zucchini squash are a low caloric food and are nearly 94% water. Additionally they offer some vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and iron. USES Zucchini squash are mild in flavor, extremely versatile and can be prepared in sweet or savory recipes. Grate Zucchini and add squash to muffin or bread batter, or use to make vegetable pancakes and fritters. Thinly sliced Zucchini works well in salads or as part of a fresh (raw) appetizer such as vegetarian carpaccio. When sliced thinly lengthwise Zucchini squash can be an excellent substitute for conventional noodles in pasta preparations. Sliced Zucchini squash can be grilled, steamed, sauteed or battered and fried. Larger more mature squashes are perfectly sized for hollowing and baking when stuffed with meats, cheeses and grains. The Zucchini blossoms additionally can be stuffed with soft cheeses and herbs then battered and fried. The flavor and texture of Zucchini will complement a variety of ingredients such as tomatoes, garlic, corn, eggplant, fresh herbs such as parsley, basil and oregano, olive oil, pine nuts, eggs, citrus juice, sausage, roasted chicken and cheeses such as ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan. Zucchini squash will keep best when kept dry and refrigerated, for one to two weeks. Season Originally grown as a summer vegetable, Zucchini squash is suitable to forced cultivation in temperate climates and is available for harvest year-round.

PRODUCT INFO Bitter melons are small to medium gourds, averaging 6 to 30 centimeters in length, and have a long and slender, oblong shape with slightly tapered ends. The gourd's surface will vary depending on the specific type, ranging from deeply creased, smooth, pale green, and ridged to rough, dark green, and heavily textured with warts and bumps. The gourd's skin may also exhibit a waxy layer, and some rarer types of Bitter melon showcase a white hue. Underneath the thin skin, the flesh is crisp, watery, and pale green, encasing a central cavity filled with spongy pith and large, cream-colored seeds. Bitter melons are harvested when they are young and green, containing a sharp, astringent, and vegetal flavor. The gourds are also selected when they display a green coloring with a faint yellow hue, an indication of further maturity, rumored to contain a slightly milder, bitter, and acidic flavor. USES Bitter melons have an astringent, bitter flavor well suited for cooked preparations, including stir-frying, baking, saut�©ing, steaming, boiling, braising, and stewing. The melon's sharp flavor complements rich, fatty, and spicy ingredients and is often utilized in different culinary styles found within Asian cuisine. Bitter melons can be consumed raw, but the gourds should be deseeded, salted, and left for approximately 30 to 45 minutes to draw excess moisture and bitterness. Once the bitter flavor is lessened, the melons can be sliced for salads, chopped into dips and spreads, or blended into juices. Bitter melons are also traditionally blanched before use or salted to tame the astringent notes before cooking. The melons can be stirred into soups and curries, stuffed and baked as a main dish, stir-fried with vegetables and meat, or cooked and coated in rich sauces. Bitter melons can also be sliced and roasted as a simple side dish, cut and fried as a rice accompaniment, or pieces of the flesh can be dried and steeped as a healing and cleansing tea. In addition to the melons, the young leaves and shoots of the plants are edible and share the characteristic bitter flavor, used as an accent in salads and soups. Bitter melon pairs well with coconut milk, aromatics including lemongrass, ginger, garlic, and onions, chile peppers, tomatoes, green beans, eggplant, black beans, yogurt, pork, beef, and poultry, and seafood including fish, shrimp, crab, and scallops. Whole, unwashed Bitter melons will keep 3 to 5 days when wrapped in plastic or placed in a sealed container in the refrigerator's crisper drawer. SEASONS Bitter melons are available year-round, with a peak season in the summer.