First of all, I’ve never been a big fan of eggplant, but I have a few variations of vegetable stew I like to make that eggplant is so right for. Sadly, here in Wyoming, most of the eggplant that finds its way into the produce departments of the grocery stores during winter has been frozen due to the long travel times from the distribution centers. A soggy, spongy, brown mess.

Eggplant isn’t the only vegetable that gets the deep freeze, it’s pretty much anything you find in the produce department. The other day I bought some fresh(?) basil to put in a stew, and by the time I had trimmed off the freeze damage, I had twice as much fodder for the compose pile as I did useable basil. Green peppers don’t take well to freezing temperatures either and are usually wrinkled and soggy. With all the waste, it would almost seem better to just close the produce departments from November to say, February in these parts.

I wish it were as simple as packing up and heading to places with less extreme winters, but at this time, it is not simple.

I’m on my way to the grocery store for veggies in a little bit. Wish me luck.