August 2023 Newsletter 2

This month, we are proud to present the book: Sourdough Culture: A History of Bread Making from Ancient to Modern Bakers by local author, Eric Pallant. Currently located in Meadville, PA, he serves as the Christine Scott Nelson Endowed Professor of Environmental Science and Sustainability at Allegheny College. From his website, Pallant is also “a serious amateur baker, a two-time Fulbright Scholar, and an award-winning professor.” 
Sourdough Culture details the history of sourdough as fuel for the builders of the Pyramids in Ancient Egypt, a way to pacify the Roman populace amongst political turmoil, and a popular past-time during the Covid-19 pandemic. It also shares various bread-making techniques used throughout the ages. Pick up your signed copy soon, as it will only be here through the end of August!

Recipe Corner: fruitful dinners and desserts with eggplant and watermelon!

Any guesses on what the two stars of our recipe corner, eggplant and watermelon, have in common?
If you were thinking “vibrant colors” or “seasonality,” you would be correct, but the real commonality is that the varieties of these fruits (yes, eggplant is a fruit!) found on our grocery store shelves and in our gardens today are the result of centuries of selective genetic cultivation!

Eggplant’s humble beginnings as a cultivated fruit can first be traced back to 59 BC China. Many Europeans thought it poisonous as it is a member of the Solanaceae, or Nightshade family. Eggplant is technically a berry, though its sometimes bitter flavor deems its typical culinary use as a vegetable. Eggplant earned its common English name for the small, white, egg-shaped fruits brought back from India, but their purple siblings from Asia came to dominate Western gardens and farms because of its larger fruits and more tender skin.
A special thank you to one of our shoppers for sharing her best baked eggplant parmesan recipe, which was the inspiration for this newsletter’s recipe corner. From here, we found recipes for vegan mushroom and eggplant sloppy joes, minimal equipment baba ghanoush, and eggplant moussaka, which has ground beef for those excited about the recent Cherry Hill delivery. For the rebels who want to take the eggplant to its fruitiest potential, try out a cinnamon eggplant crisp or a chocolate eggplant cake, which can be tweaked to make it gluten-free and vegan.

The earliest mentions of watermelon date back to roughly 3000 BC in Southern Africa, where they were cultivated as a water source. The flesh was described as “bitter” and “colorless,” and it wasn’t until it made its way to Egypt about a thousand years later that it was selectively bred to develop more sweetness and became more ovular in shape.
Of course, you can enjoy watermelon as is, or with a little salt for added electrolytes. However, you can also soup it, salsa-fy it, add fresh herbs and goat cheese for a tangy salad, and turn your melon into a garden-variety vegan steak. And for our no-waste foodies, you can even roast the rind with herbs and parmesan cheese for a savory side dish.
Between the origins of these fruits and the history of sourdough, Squirrel has learned a lot this week!

The winner will be pulled at our Farm to Table Dinner on August 26th. The bike is a Himiway Cruiser Step Through E-Bike, valued at $1699 retail, and comes with several accessories. Thanks so much, 814 Outdoor Sports in Edinboro, for this incredible raffle! Tickets are $15/ea, 3 for $40, or 10 for $100.