Hard to believe that only four short months ago the absolute temps were in the negative teens, the wind chills were below minus 30' F and that the icy grope of winter reached all the way to Mexico devastating crops below the Rio Grande. Eggplant and squash blossoms were annihilated and the price of eggplant jumped from $16.50 in mid-January to over $72 for the same quantity. Zucchini was gone. At the Gardens we agonized how best to handle this paucity of eggplant--in the end--we stuck to our philosophy: local, sustainable, affordable, and scrubbed Mousakas, Veggie Mousakas and Melitzana from the menu for the month of April. It's hard, very hard, to disappoint our customers, but for the first time in 20 years we couldn't justify passing on these exorbitant costs and maintain our standards. So, now in August, when we see the Mousakas and Melitzana flying out the door at an accelerated pace, we smile inside, glad to be able to provide a hardy standard at a fair price. Enjoy our eggplant dishes with Mythos Red.