What's Growing This Summer? Shishito Peppers and Thumb-Sized Eggplant
The summer produce season is in full swing, and the local farmers markets are bursting with the staples: corn, tomatoes, peaches, cherries. But sometimes I'll wander through a greenmarket, stop in front of a table and think, what are these? Or I'll see a vegetable variety and wonder, what do I do with this?
So, I called farmer Greg Swartz—he runs Willow Wisp Farm in Pennsylvania and sells his produce in Union Square and Grand Army Plaza. And I wanted him to shed some light on two things: fairy tale eggplant, and shishito peppers.
Fairy tales are about the size of your thumb. They're really pretty, oblong and pale purple-and-white striped. But these are not your eggplant parmesan variety—they're made to be roasted or grilled.
"They have a really nice creamy texture, and most of the time, they actually have a bit of sweetness to it as well," said Swartz, who suggested splitting them lengthwise and roasting them on a bed of salt. He said the skins become crunchy and caramelized.
The other vegetable we talked about was shishito peppers. Maybe you've had them in a Japanese restaurant, but they're becoming really popular for home cooks, too. They're small, crunchy, and take really well to being blistered in a pan with some oil and tossed with salt or a drizzle of soy sauce. There's also a surprise to them:
"On average, one in ten of the peppers has a little bit of heat to them," said Swartz. "They're not as hot as regular hot peppers, but they'll have a little bit of pizzazz, which makes it kind of fun when you're eating. You never know if you're going to get that hot one."
Willow Wisp Farm is at the Union Square Greenmarket on Wednesdays and at Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza on Saturdays.
Hear my conversation with Morning Edition host Richard Hake above.
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