Learn more about fascinating eggplant
This vegetable is believed to come to us from India via China and then the Mideast. It was eventually introduced to European tables by Louis XIV during the 1600s, but it received a less than enthusiastic reception. It was said to be "as large as pears but with bad qualities."
Even more damaging were myths that eggplants caused fever, epilepsy and even insanity. Like tomatoes, potatoes and other nightshade family plants, it was once viewed as poisonous and grown as an ornamental because of its beautiful purple star-shaped flowers and colorful fruits.
Thomas Jefferson introduced eggplant to the United States and grew the vegetables in his gardens at Monticello. It met with limited success until the late 1800s when Chinese and Italian immigrants arrived in America and started growing these to prepare their traditional dishes.
My Greek neighbor shared plants with me when I was young. I ate them fresh, battered and fried or sliced, because cooking the myriad dishes was beyond my ability. Favorites include Greek moussaka, Middle East baba ganoush, Italian eggplant parmigiana, and French ratatouille and Asian stir-fries and curries.
In Utah, eggplants grow as annuals because of the frost, but they are actually tender perennials. Leave enough space because the plants grow up to 4 feet in height with a similar spread. They branch well and the leaves are often covered with hair and sometimes have tiny spines.
Although the skins are different colors, the flesh is usually creamy white and has tiny seeds of a similar color. The fruit are ready to harvest 45-90 days after transplanting. One caution is to pick them when they are young and tender. Older fruits get tough and bitter.
The five basic shape groups classify them as globe, elongated or cylindrical, egg-shaped, specialty and pea eggplants. The most common type in Utah is the globe or oval eggplants. They have large, deep purple, pear-shaped fruits that are used for stuffing, baking and grilling. Pay close attention when growing these because they are likely to get old and tough.
These are a few varieties you might want to try. The days to harvest are in parentheses:
Black Beauty (80) is the classic eggplant with deep purple skin and large 8-to-10 inch fruits. Dusky Hybrid (63) is an improved variety with 5-to-7 inch purple-black fruits.
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