Don’t
be confined to one variety of eggplants any longer - these varieties come in a
range of shapes, colours and sizes to suit your growing style.
There’s no arguing that without
eggplants, the culinary world would be missing a bright star. Cooks around the
globe use this versatile veggie in dishes closely tied to both their culture
and their cuisine. Without eggplants, the world would be devoid of such
signature dishes as ratatouille, moussaka, eggplant parmesan and baba ghanoush,
but fear not: The palette of eggplant varieties is constantly expanding,
offering cooks the world over plenty of opportunities to create all these
delicious dishes and more.
Eggplant (Solanum melongena), also
known as aubergine, is a member of the nightshade family. A close cousin to the
tomato and potato, this warm-season vegetable is at home in gardens across
North America. A native of the Indian subcontinent, where its wild relatives
can grow up to 8 feet tall, eggplant can grow perennially for years in climates
that never dip below freezing, but across most of Africa, they are grown as a
warm-season annual crop.
Eggplanting
To successfully grow eggplants, seeds
should be started indoors under lights eight to 10 weeks before the last
expected spring frost. This is of particular importance in northern climates,
where the growing season is short. Most eggplant varieties have a fairly long
growing season, with larger selections taking upwards of 75 days to fully
mature. Plant seeds in peat pots or seeding trays, and use a seed-starting heat
mat to maintain a soil temperature of around 85°F for optimum germination.
Like other warm-season transplants,
including tomatoes and peppers, eggplants should not be moved out into the
garden until daytime temperatures regularly stay above 60°F and nights above
50°F. Before planting, work organic matter into the soil, ensuring pH ranges
between 6.0 and 6.5. Locate the seedlings in an area that receives a minimum of
six to eight hours of full sun per day. Eggplants prefer warm soil, so using
black plastic to cover the ground for a few weeks before planting will speed
growth, as will mulching the transplants with dark compost.
Using row cover is another way to keep
the plants warm, especially during cooler spring temperatures. If using row
cover, be sure to remove it when plants come into flower to allow access to
pollinators. The flowers can be white to purple in colour, with bright-yellow
anthers. Although the first few flowers might drop off the plant and fail to
produce, the remaining flowers will each yield a single fruit, with each plant
often bearing five or more fruits. The more frequently the fruits are
harvested, the greater the fruit set.
During flowering and fruit development,
supply the plants with adequate moisture: about 1 inch of water per week either
via rainfall or supplemental irrigation. As flea beetles can sometimes be
problematic on eggplants, particularly for young seedlings, protecting the
plants with a kaolin-clay-based product is key in susceptible areas. Organic
spinosad-based sprays are also effective against adult flea beetles and certain
species of beneficial nematodes can be introduced to the planting area to
battle their soil-dwelling larvae.
The diversity of available eggplant
varieties is astounding. Fruits can be dark purple, lavender, yellow, white,
rose, cream, reddish purple and even orange, depending on the selection. Their
shapes are equally as diverse: Small egg-shaped varieties are perfect for
single servings, while a single huge, teardrop-shaped fruit will easily fill an
entire pan with eggplant parmesan. Japanese eggplants are elongated, reaching 6
to 8 inches in length and creating perfectly uniform slices. Here are a handful
of my favourites:
1. Little Finger: A small, slender-fruited
variety, Little Finger has dark, thin skin with perfectly sized, single-serving
fruits. Best harvested when 3 to 6 inches long, this variety is ready to pick
in a mere 60 days. Recommend it to customers for summer grilling.
2. Rosa Bianca: The rounded, pink- and white-striped
fruits of this Sicilian heirloom are mild and creamy with very few seeds.
Because it requires between 75 and 85 days to mature, it might not be the best
variety for northern gardeners. These fruits are perfect for stuffing with rice
and ground meat, and then roasting.
3. Millionaire: These king-sized fruits on
early-maturing plants are ready to harvest in just 55 days. Millionaire boasts
classic dark-purple fruits. Both the productivity and flavour of this Japanese
variety are exceptional. Slice Millionaires into rounds and make eggplant
parmesan or baba ghanoush.
4. Casper: An ivory-skinned, slightly elongated
eggplant that fruits in about 70 days, Casper’ grows well even in northern
gardens. Each plant produces a half dozen or more fruits with a mild,
non-bitter flavour and small seeds. The mild flavour is ideal for ratatouille.
5. Pin Tung Long: This heirloom Asian selection
is extremely prolific—up to 20 fruits per plant! The long, slender fruits
average 16 to 18 inches long and have soft skin that does not require peeling,
making them perfect for grilling.
6. Udumalapet: Hailing from India, Udumalapet bears
light-green, pear-shaped fruits with purple streaks. As they mature, they
change to pale yellow with lavender striping. They’re best eaten small (about 3
inches long), while the skin is still tender and the seeds haven’t turned
bitter—use them in Baingan Bharta (aka eggplant curry).
7. Applegreen: These small, egg-shaped fruits are
pale green, even at maturity. Ripening in 70 days on extremely prolific plants,
Applegreen plants are great for container culture, as they reach only 18 to 24
inches in height. Roast these small eggplants whole on the grill or in the
oven.
8. Fairy Tale: Another perfect container selection,
the lavender- and white-striped fruits of Fairy Tale grow on plants that reach
a mere 1 to 2 feet in height. Fruits are elongated and reach only 5 inches at
maturity. These versatile fruits are excellent for a single-serving side dish,
either grilled, roasted or breaded.
No matter which eggplants you choose to
grow, the fruits are ready to harvest when the skin is glossy and the pad of
your thumb doesn’t leave an impression on the skin. When cutting the fruit from
the plant, leave the calyx—the protective green petals at the top of the
fruit—and an inch or so of stem intact to prevent rot. Over-mature fruit will
be soft and slightly mushy, and the seeds will be brown rather than white.
Harvested fruit should be stored between 50 and 55°F for up to two weeks before
use.
These shiny beauties are remarkable in
both the garden and the kitchen. Make room for them in your plot to help fill
your customers’ plates!
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by
Jessica Walliser
Horticulturist Jessica Walliser is an award-winning radio host on KDKA Radio’s “The Organic Gardeners” in Pittsburgh. She’s the author of five gardening books, including the Amazon-bestseller Good Bug Bad Bug, winner of the 2014 AHS Book Award Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control, and her newest title Container Gardening Complete: Creative Projects for Growing Vegetables and Flowers in Small Spaces. Jessica also writes two weekly gardening columns for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and is co-owner of the website SavvyGardening.com
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