Eggplant Stew (with radish)

Pictured above are ingredients for an eggplant stew which I have added to the repertoire. I found an interesting article with recipes in the 10/05/2010 issue of the New York Times. I chose the Spanish recipe Samfaina, a stew from the Catalan region of finely chopped vegetables.

Of course, I added the radish!

Apple Butter Day

Twelve pints and seven half pints from 18 pounds of apples: Apple Butter Day was tiring! I quartered and cored the apples and cooked them in apple juice. My friend helped squish the apples through the strainer. I added a little sugar and spices and cooked the applesauce for five hours. Part of the time, the heat was high enough that the pans of apples had to be stirred constantly. It was a recipe for success.

While the apples were cooking, I decided to make a cake. A cajun cake made from Steen's Cane Syrup is always a big hit. This cake fell, however. It was a recipe for limited success! Who cares what it looks like as long as it tastes great.

Sparkling Blooms

A wonderful .3" rain the previous evening left flowers sparkling in the morning sunlight.

Rock Rose

Lantana

Zinnia

Eggplant

Yellow Squash (with cucumber beetle)

Cayenne Pepper

Rosemary

Evergreen Sumac

Gregg's Mist

Turk's Cap

Butternut Squash

Tomato

Zinnia

Mexican Mint Marigold

Maximilian Sunflower

Soggy September

During the month of September, Central Texas recorded the 2nd most rain total ever. Almost every location counted over 12".  The average rainfall for the month is 2.91". What is a gardener to do when the garden is too soggy? We started by covering the garden paths with bark mulch. Then we waited. While waiting, I canned peach preserves. I found some wonderful peaches and plumped and steeped and watched the rain.

Eggplants

I have never grown such beautiful and productive eggplant plants! One week in September we harvested at least a dozen eggplants from only 5 plants.

Okra and eggplants can be a great combination.

We call this dish Okra Gumbo (with eggplant). The German folk in Fredericksburg taught us to eat our okra this way. The addition of eggplant changes the flavor and texture for the better. I love to make a big pot and freeze some for winter. 

Someone out there (you know who you are) may be wondering why the delay of this post. We have had equipment failure at Radish Stew. No more! Thank you for visiting Radish Stew!