Eggplant dip

Several years ago I held the title of "Outdoor Teacher" at a local Montessori school.  The school had a vegetarian, sugar-free and peanut-free policy.  The children in the infant through pre-K part of the school had access to a 17'X17' vegetable garden.  The 3 - 6 year-olds planted and harvested vegetables year - round.  Food prep is a standard element in the  Montessori pre-K classroom.  My job was to maintain a literal classroom outdoors, with shelves, tables and chairs including the garden.  Our long, dry season and predicable weather makes an outdoor classroom possible in Tucson.  We focused on science, art and building methods and materials.  One year I was gifted a pet rabbit.  The children and I used found sticks and materials to build a yurt for the bunny to live in the middle of the garden.  We planted radishes near her fencing so she occasionally had sprouts to nibble on.  Another year we had a particularly good harvest and we were able to cook a wonderful vegetable dish, in our solar oven, for our Thanksgiving feast.  The children peeled and chopped for two days.

My plots at home reminds me of the lessons learned from my outdoor classroom.   My four year-old son follows me out to check on the plants every chance he gets and comments on the progress of our seedlings and our plants. He independently planted some "mystery seeds" in one of our beds, seeds he found in the bottom of my tote, and he can't wait to find out what will grow from them. I suspect they're some variety of squash, and we should have enough of a growing season left to be able to leave see them mature.

Gardening is peaceful for me, minus the skin reactions I have to deal with  afterward.  Pollen must settle onto my plants because anything that brushes against me give me welts and a lovely burning, itching sensation.  Everything subsides pretty quickly once I get inside and wash up pretty well.  I pondered, while watering my eggplant plant, wether my home-grown vegetables will trigger OAS.  But then my thoughts switched to an easy spread I used to make with the preschoolers with our eggplants.  I can't eat hummus anymore, but this is a great alternative (for me) on bell pepper strips, carrot sticks and cherry tomatoes.  If you're not allergic to eggplant, give this a try.

Cut your eggplant(s) into 1" pieces. Microwave, bake or roast until tender and then cool completely.  In a blender or food processor,  combine eggplant,  4 cloves garlic (or more to taste) and 2 tbsp olive oil and mix until creamy.  Add more olive oil as needed for a smooth, spreadable consistency.  Salt and pepper to taste.  You can roast the garlic first if you like, and also try a squeeze of lemon juice in the mixture of you want a little zing. Spread on bread, crackers, rice cakes, corn thins, whatever you can safely enjoy.

An eggplant is actually a fruit, and a member of the nightshade family, with siblings such as tomatoes, peppers and potatoes.  It is a source of folic acid and potassium, calcium, vitamin A and iron, and it even offers some protein.  Stuff it, saute it, fry it, just try it.