Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a socio-economic model that allows people to buy food direct from farmers. Customers pay for a yearly ‘share’ of the farm’s crops, and collect a weekly harvest prepared by the farmer. Amanda Gormley, marketing and member/owner service coordinator at the Syracuse Real Food Cooperative, brings you this guide to CSA’s most baffling offerings.

This week: Eggplant

Shiny, aubergine-colored skin is the eggplant’s calling card, but eggplants come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. From the oval purple eggplant, to the round, white oriental varieties, eggplants carry a meaty texture that tends to pick up any flavors it’s cooked with.

Eggplant meat is spongy and airy. As it is heated, the air escapes and the cooking liquid rushes in to replace the air. If you’re frying or sautéing eggplant make sure you have extra oil on hand!

To reduce the amount of oil you’ll need, try slicing the eggplant before cooking it, then press the slices against a hard surface to push out some of the air.

The eggplant is a distant relative of the tobacco plant, so its seeds carry some bitterness. A generous sprinkling of salt on the eggplant meat before cooking can help draw out some of the bitterness. After salting and allowing the eggplant to stand for a few minutes, pat it down with a paper towel to avoid excessive salt in your cooked eggplant.

Young, tender eggplants don’t need to be peeled! The skin contains a large portion of the eggplant’s nutrition, so it’s not a bad idea to leave it on. Larger specimen with thicker skin should be peeled though, as the skin tends to be tough.

Eggplant is a versatile fruit that can be baked, grilled, steamed or sautéed. It gets along well with other late summer flavors like tomato, onion, and garlic.