Fresh ideas from United Harvest: 
 
Quick Tips!
 
Blend berries in with your favorite vinaigrette!
Tear basil and add to pasta salads!
 
Add herbs to a green salad for a tasty surprise!
 
Add sliced cucumbers to pure, clean drinking water; enjoy!
 
Cut peach in half, place in bowl and overfill with your favorite frozen yogurt!
 
Blanch green beans and freeze for Thanksgiving!
 
Sizzling eggplant saladwhen its too hot to light the  oven!
 
Olive oil
2 large eggplants, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 c. fresh salsa** recipe below
12 oz. black beans
2 T lime juice
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
 
Preheat  gas grill or prepare charcoal fire.  Brush oil onto one side of  eggplant slices, place on grill, oiled side down.  Cook 6 to 8 minutes  until tender.  Brush oil on tops and turn and grill until tender another  6 to 8 minutes.  Cool slightly and then chop on cutting board. Combine  eggplant, fresh salsa, black beans and lime juice in a large salad bowl;  toss to mix.  Add salt and pepper a needed.
 
Fresh salsa is delicious mixed in any salad, but it is especially delicious paired with grilled eggplant. 
 
 
**with tomato salsa
 
3 ripe tomatoes peeled, seeded and chopped
2 small cucumbers, sliced, seeds removed, and chopped
½ cup red onion, minced
¼ jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
 
Stir ingredients gently and refrigerate.
 
 
Ginger Sesame Eggplant
 
1 medium eggplant
olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tablespoon peeled, grated ginger
1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
 
Coat one medium  eggplant with olive oil and roast at 400 degrees until soft.  Allow to  cool, then peel, chunk into 1/2 inch dice and mix with any juices that  have accumulated.  Combine garlic, ginger and sesame oil.  Saute  together until translucent.  Toss with eggplant chunks and season with  hot sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and chopped cilantro.  Serve  warm or cold.
 
This works well as a tortilla chip dip or a sauce for soba noodles!
 
Kristi  Hood
Quail Hill Farm
Amagansett, NY
 
 
Beautiful flower and fruit salad
Purchase certified edible flowers at a farmers market.
 
1 melon cut into cubes
2 cups of fresh pineapple cubes
1 pint of fresh raspberries
1 pint of fresh blueberries
1 pint of fresh strawberries
1 cup of seedless grapes
2 mangos, peeled and cubed
 
Lime Vinaigrette:
1/3 cup of lime juice
1/3 cup of maple syrup
1 cup of unsweetened coconut  flakes
 
1-1/2 cups of edible flowers
 
Combine all fruit in a large bowl.  Toss carefully with lime vinaigrette. Garnish with flowers.
 
This salad wins the award for most beautiful salad! 
 
RatatouilleTwo ways
 
Whether  you simmer your luscious veggies in a crock pot or for a twist, grill  them outdoors, when you make ratatouille, its summer!
 
When  you plan an afternoon in the garden, yet long to come inside for a hot  meal, ratatouille is a perfect choice.  Create your perfect mixture of  veggies based on what you harvested that week.
 
¼ c. olive oil
2 c. cubed, peeled eggplant
1 c. chopped zucchini
1/ 2 c. chopped tomatoes
1 red or yellow pepper, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 t. thyme
2 t. oregano
½ c. veggie broth
sea salt and fresh black cracked pepper to taste
2 T fresh basil
 
Saute  eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, pepper, and onion until soft.  Stir in  remaining ingredients except basil.  Transfer vegetable mixture to a  crock pot and cook on low-heat for 4-1/2 hours or on high-heat setting  for 2-1/2 hours, or simmer for an additional 25 minutes. Stir basil into  mixture when ready to serve.  Freezes well!
 
Or try……….
 
Grilled Ratatouille
 
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 yellow pepper, stemmed, seeded and halved
1 red pepper, stemmed, seeded and halved
2 Vidalia onions, peeled and sliced in rounds
1 large zucchini, sliced into ¼ inch slices
1 small eggplant unpeeled, sliced into 1/4 rounds
2 dozen cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
½ cup fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
 
Preheat  grill to medium-high. Place olive oil, lemon juice, peppers, onions,  zucchini and eggplant in a large bowl.  Gently turn to coat veggies.   Grill veggies until tender, turning once.  Cool slightly and chop  grilled veggies into bite-size pieces.  Toss in a large bowl with  remaining  ingredients.  Serve warm.
 
 
Preserving the Harvest! roasted eggplant and garlic caviar
 
1 large eggplant
4 large cloves garlic
3 T  lemon juice
2 scallions, chopped
1 small handful of flat leaf parsley
3 T olive oil
Sea salt
 
Preheat  over to 400 degrees.  Pierce eggplant about five times with a fork and  place it on a  baking sheet.  Pour a slight amount of water on baking sheet and place  in oven.  Place garlic cloves in wrapped tin foil and place in oven.   Turn eggplant once and roast eggplant and garlic for about 40 minutes.
Remove  from heat and cool.  Once eggplant is cool, slice it in half removing  and spooning the flesh into a blender.  Squeeze the garlic out of its  skin into the blender also.  Add remaining ingredients and season with  sea salt.  Serve at room temperature.  The caviar can be refrigerated  for several days and it freezes well.
 
 
 
Tomato, Basil, and Arugula Pasta Salad
 
4 large tomatoes , cut into 1/2–inch dice
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 cup (packed) arugula leaves (or substitute with other greens)
3 tablespoons  shredded fresh basil leaves
2–1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 pound penne
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, optional
 
Toss  the tomatoes, garlic, arugula, basil, crushed pepper, vinegar, oil,  salt and pepper to taste in a large serving bowl.  Set aside to marinade  at room temperature for at least one hour or up to three hours.  
 
Cook the penne al dente, drain briefly, and add to the tomato mixture.  Add the cheese, toss and serve without chilling.