Eggplant

Native to southern India and Sri Lanka, eggplant is in the nightshade family along with tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers. We grow two varieties, a classic bell-shaped eggplant named Nadia and a long, slender, Asian-style eggplant named Orient Express. They will both be in your share from mid summer until fall.

Cooking Tips

Eggplant is a spongy vegetable, known to soak up the flavor of any rich oil, sauce, or seasoning that it is cooked with. Our two varieties of eggplant can be used somewhat interchangeably, but the Oriental Express has thinner and tastier skin and takes slightly less time to cook; it is especially easy to slice this variety and toss it into a stir-fry. Eggplant tastes great on the grill or barbeque, breaded and fried, baked in a casserole, or sautéed and stir-fried. Try out a baba ghanoush recipe, eggplant caviar, or eggplant parmesan. Do not try eating eggplant raw, though, as it is slightly toxic before it is cooked.

Storage Tips

Your eggplant should keep well for about a week in the refrigerator. To preserve eggplant, try making a batch of baba ghanoush to store in the freezer.

Nutrition

Eggplant is not an especially nutritious vegetable, but it is low in calories and high in fiber, as well as having high levels of folic acid and potassium. It is believed to possibly control cholesterol and block free radicals, and, interestingly, contains higher levels of nicotine than any other vegetable we eat.

History

Eggplant spread from South Asia to the East, and to this day an enormous variety and quantity of eggplant is grown in China, Japan and India. Eggplant also earned fans in the Middle East and Northern Africa, where it is an important crop to this day. In the West, eggplant's association with the nightshade family meant it was greeted reluctantly, and often labeled as poisonous. Only in more recent times has eggplant found favor in Europe, but it is now used in a variety of French and Italian recipes.

Field Notes

Eggplants are a tropical plant, so they spend a long time in the warmth of our greenhouse before being planted out in early summer. Once the plants are producing, we go through the rows twice a week for any ripened eggplants, carefully clipping any fruits that are ready and being careful to avoid the sharp points along their stems.