Fresh local, organic Violet Thai eggplant, a small, long eggplant variety with glossy violet-purple skin, firm white flesh, and few seeds, commonly used in Southeast Asian cooking for its mild, slightly bitter flavor and crisp texture. Eggplant is technically a fruit, not a vegetable: it's classified botanically as a berry and grows from a plant in the nightshade family alongside tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes. Its firm texture holds up well in Thai green curry, where the halved or quartered fruit simmers in coconut milk and chili paste without breaking down, and it's just as common raw, sliced thin into som tam or other Southeast Asian salads. It also works sliced into stir-fries or grilled whole until tender. Pairs well with coconut milk, Thai basil, lime, chili, and fish sauce.
Rock Tavern, NY
Halal Pastures is a certified organic and halal farm based in Upstate NY, founded by husband-and-wife team Samer and Diane Saleh. They are dedicated to providing exceptional tasting organic vegetables and halal meats and meat products. Over a decade ago, a single article about Egypt rejecting genetically modified corn sparked their journey. At the time, the only food label they paid attention to was “halal”, but that moment led them to question how food is grown and what truly makes it pure.
Determined to feed their family food that was not only halal but tayyab (pure), the Salehs began growing it themselves. What started as a personal mission soon grew into Halal Pastures, a farm rooted in the values of health, ethics, and transparency.
Today, Halal Pastures cultivates thousands of vegetable varieties using regenerative practices that foster biodiversity and enrich the soil. The farm never uses chemical pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or genetically modified seeds. Instead, they focus on nourishing the land and growing clean, flavorful produce that reflects the care behind every step of the process.
With a deep commitment to transparency and traceability, the Salehs remain hands-on in every part of the farm’s operations.