Fruit of the gods at the 7th Wonderful Exchange

The Ancient Greeks considered Persimmons "fruit of the gods" and I can see why. The beautiful orange color and luscious creamy interior..... yummmm! We were fortunate enough to have 2 kinds of Persimmons at our exchange on Sunday.. the flat bottomed "ready to eat like an apple" Fuyu variety and the pointed bottomed "needs to be very soft" Hachiya variety which is great in puddings, cakes and cookies.

Our bounty this exchange also included Rosemary, grapefruit, apples, sage, basil, 3 different types of pumpkins, watermelon, pineapple guava, eureka and meyer lemons, preserved lemons, avocados, roses, dried sage, flower and herb seeds, dried chilies, galangal, lemongrass,Killer-hot Habanero sauce, Kaffir lime leaves and thyme.  Oh and those  tail-waggin' dog treats !

Thank you one and all ! Happy Thanksgiving and
we'll see you on December 13th !



Persimmon Cookies compliments of June
2 ripe persimmons - pureed
1 tsp baking soda
2 Cups flour
1/2  tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 C butter
1 C sugar
1 egg
1 C raisins
1 C nuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Dissolve baking soda in persimmon puree and set aside.
In medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, cinnamon,cloves and nutmeg.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar till fluffy, then add egg
and persimmon.
Stir in dry ingredients, then nuts and raisins.
Drop by teaspoonful onto greased or parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Thanks for a Great Exchange...Next One Oct 11th

The truck with the surf board was heavy with all the spaghetti squash as it offloaded the cache for the 5th bi-weekly Ventura Produce Exchange this past Sunday. Then the tomatoes and avocados arrived, some lavendar and an eisel with Miss Riley's artwork, more cherry tomatoes, some pomegranites, thai peppers, beef liver dog treats, lemons, corn, green zebra tomatoes, butternut squash, eggplant, rosemary, sage, basil, and did I mention tomatoes? Just as I was ready to take down the tent, more produce arrived and with it smiling, familiar faces and some new ones too! Did I miss anyone ? thank you one and all !

Grilled Eggplant Dip aka Baba Gannoj Makes 2 1/2 cups
2 large Eggplants
2 cloves garlic
2 scallions
4 T Cilantro (or Italian Flat Leaf Parsley)
2 T yogurt
2-3 T Olive Oil
1/2 t ground Cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste

Wash the eggplants and prick in a few spots to allow the steam to escape. Grill over medium flame, turning frequently, until charred on all sides and the flesh is soft. Let cool ; split lengthwise and scoop out the flesh.

In a food processor add the garlic, scallion, cilantro and lemon juice and pulse until all ingredients are minced. Add the eggplant, yogurt, olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper and pulse until pureed. Adjust seasoning and serve drizzled with olive oil and topped with garnish of cilantro. Great with pita, crackers or bread.