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| Eggplant seedlings are growing well so far! |
Eggplant is one of our favorite summer veggies, just behind tomatoes and peppers. It is great brushed with a little olive oil and roasted on the grill. Last year we also learned the joys of grilled pizza, but those recipes and instructions will come later once it's a little warmer. Today, to get us all ready for eggplant, here's a list of the varieties we'll have available. Unfortunately, eggplant needs heat to grow and heat to produce the yummy orbs of flavor.
- Dusky - one of the earlier hybrid varieties that produce medium size, dark purple eggplants with small seeds and great flavor
- Black Beauty - one of the traditional favorites that produces large, dark purple eggplants that produce well into the warm days of fall
- Whopper - a new hybrid that we're trying for the first time this year. Reported to be a prolific producer of
- Purple rain - purple-wine color with mini-white streaks. The photos in the seed catalog were an intriguing color and we can't wait to see how they turn out. They are to have a mild flavor with very few seeds.
- Louisana - long, green eggplant. We tried this one last year and enjoyed the flavor but only had a few. We're giving the variety a second chance and hope to have better yields.
- Orient Charm - smaller pink/light purple eggplant of the Asian variety which means long rather than oval shaped. This is our first year for this variety. We're using it as a replacement for the more traditionally grown, Ichiban. We've grown the Ichiban for a number of years but never really appreciated the flavor. We'll see if this variety is better.
- Fairytale - smaller, purple with white streaks, this variety seems to grow in bunches. Makes great roasting or grilling choices or even good on a shish kabob
