August 8th, 2012
evaatprosserfarm

Just a few months ago, we were coddling the little starts, pampering them in the greenhouse, then ever so sloooowly acclimating them to the real outdoors in the coldframes. Well, these guys don’t seem to need much help anymore—we are drowning in eggplants!  The pic on the bottom was our very first one…and they are only getting bigger.

And since this is the cone of trust, I will share with you a secret:  I never liked eggplant much.  It always seemed a thoughtless vegetarian cop-out, devoid of flavor and FULL of texture—a texture I was not fond of.  So I went to our trusty executive chef, ET and queried as to how I could possibly do this Prosser produce justice.  Turns out it’s pretty simple.  These guys are like little sponges for deliciousness, so be thoughtful, be simple, and be patient.  An eggplant sliced thin, soaked in the marinade of your choice or very classically olive oil, liberally crusted in salt, and (here’s the important part) grilledslowly, off the heat, more like smokedand VOILA!  A sponge that anyone can enjoy.

Below is a little inspiration should you find yourself pawing a smooth, lovely aubergine orb, begging to soak up some delicious olive oil and smoky grill flavor.

ProsserFarmerDinner
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@TomDouglasCo

About Prosser Farm
In 2006, Tom Douglas and his wife and business partner, Jackie Cross, bought a house with a little acreage in Prosser, Washington, in the lower Yakima Valley. The farm is 2½ hours east of Seattle, right smack in the middle of Washington wine country—and conveniently right next door to their pals and Chinook Winery winemakers, Kay and Clay.

At the time of the purchase, the chefs in Tom and Jackie’s joints were already using everything local they could get their hands on--whole pigs and lambs, handmade cheeses, foraged mushrooms, and Washington wines—but the new Prosser Farm would represent a commitment to narrowing the gap between the land, its producers, and the restaurants, all the while continuing to educate their chefs about the effort dedicated to creating the best, from seed to table.

Today, Jackie runs the roost as Farmer-in-Chief, with indispensable help from her Dad, Jim, who built all the raised beds, and her Dad’s wife, Sharon, who works the farm daily with a team of dedicated support staff, including a stellar team of women from the Prosser area who are now returning for their third season. The farm is managed by the ever-creative and zealous Dev Patel—a chef who continues to wow us with both his dedication to the careful selection of tomato varietals in the field and the clearest tomato water on the table.

After a few years struggling with the new farm’s learning curve, the first big year of production was in 2010. On average, 2,400 pounds of produce a week during growing season is trucked in from the farm for distribution to all the Tom Douglas Restaurants. Mellow green garlic, perfect beet greens, baby rainbow chard leaves, beautiful crisp heads of lolla rossa, and lush bunches of spicy red and white radishes are generally the first to show up in our restaurant kitchens. Later in the season, the Seattle-bound truck is filled with sweet apricots, ripe heirloom tomatoes, and a small mountain of spicy peppers and eggplants, irrigated by the Cascade Mountains’ snow-melt and ripened in the hot Eastern Washington sunshine.

Dev and Jackie work closely with the chefs when choosing which crops to plant each year, learning every season more and more about what produce works best for which menu. From the late spring until early fall, the fruits and vegetables from Prosser appear everywhere on our menus--from the tomatoes in Lola’s Greek salad to the roasted peppers on Serious Pie’s pizza to the chard in Dezi’s Meatless Monday creations at palace Kitchen. Many of our chefs have started canning and preserving in order to keep Prosser Farm produce on their winter menus.

It is our goal at Prosser Farm to continue to learn, to continue to grow, and to deliver deliciousness, served with graciousness, from our fields to your plate. Let’s eat!

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