A good year for eggplant

(So. Many. Eggplants.)

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Ya think?

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I count 21 little eggplants, at various stages, between just two (2!!!) unbelievably productive plants. AND, there are about 30 more blossoms on top. The variety is called "Little Fingers". It's an Asian (Thai, maybe?) variety of eggplant, and that's all I know. As you can see, the fruit is shaped like zucchini. The one on the bottom is just about ready to be picked. I bought these puppies as very small, rather sad looking seedlings at the farmer's market; they struggled mightily in the long, cold spring we had. They are among the group of about four vegetables I didn't start from seed this year.

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I'm stunned. Simply stunned.

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I've never grown eggplant before, but I will definitely grow eggplant next year.

My favorite edible flower

(delicious, if somewhat scary)

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This is borage. It would not be out of place in Jurassic Park. It is HUGE- about 3 feet tall now- and this is just in a container, folks. I planted 4 of these suckers. The bottom leaves are as big as salad plates. Apparently it can grow much, much larger than this if planted in the ground- but it's only June, so I'm hopeful. The enormous stem and leaves are covered in little prickles, and it reminds me for all the world of Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors. But see all those little bright blue flowers? They are simply delicious. They are sweet- sort of like honeydew melon. And bumblebees *love* them. I've had multiple sightings of bumbles in the last few days, and they make a beeline to these beautiful blue babies. Bumbles are a good sign- they usually arrive shortly before honeybees. Come on, beeeees! You can do it!

Two lettuces for next year's garden

(Silvia Red-Leaf Romaine)

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(Green Bibb Buttercrunch)
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Lettuce is an early spring (or early fall) crop. It just can't take the heat. We've had a heatwave in Detroit over the last few days, and the lettuce is getting ready to bolt- it's getting a tad bitter. Lettuce is genetically programmed to go bitter just before and during bolting, so critters (like you and me) that would normally eat it learn to stay away, so it can set seed and carry out the terribly important business of reproduction. Clever, huh?

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I grew about 6 lettuces this year (I think?), but here are two that I will absolutely grow next year.

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Silvia: It is a red-leaf romaine with a handsome, bolt-upright presentation, which also makes it very easy to harvest. It's slightly spicy, but not overly so. It is tissue-paper thin- it needs to be cut at the very last minute, or it will even wilt on the counter top while waiting to be plated. This is definitely not a lettuce that can be shipped, and that makes it all the more special. And the color- gorgeous!

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Green Bibb Buttercrunch: I mean, come on-- How can you resist any food with "butter" in the name? This lettuce is heavenly. It sets pretty little free-form heads with leaves that curl and dip and fold in random directions. Not only is it beautiful, it is a great neutral foil for baby Asian mustards, baby kales, and arugula. I'll grow a lot of this next year and start it extra-early. Be sure to soak it, though- bugs love all the folds. I have witnessed a lot of little winged bugs crawl out of it and onto the counter top. (I habitually practice catch-and-release, not smash-'em-up.)