DOWN TO EARTH: Authentic aubergines

BULK GREEN CROPS!

Abundant at the moment are aubergines (Solanum melongena), or more commonly known as eggplant. These delicious vegetable fruits are members of the nightshade or Solanaceae family along with tomato, capsicum, chillies, potato, and tamarillo. The name eggplant came from the early ornamental varieties introduced into England which had white egg-shaped fruits.

It may surprise you but aubergines (like peppers) are in fact perennial when grown in warm climates or in a hothouse. Due to cooler temperatures it is most practical to grow it as an annual crop. Modern varieties grow up to a metre high producing between 3 and 20 fruit, depending, of course, on variety, soil fertility and growing conditions. They come in a range of shapes and colours, but the most prevalent varieties are purple skinned with a creamy coloured interior when ripe. The fruit has a mild taste, which is why they are often combined with stronger flavours such as garlic, tomatoes, onions, herbs and spices. My favourite eggplant dish is the French ratatouille, where chunks of eggplant, capsicum, zucchini, tomato and red onion are gently simmered until well cooked and soft. My Israeli friends love frying aubergine in oil and combine it with freshly made pita bread with hummus, hard boiled egg, chopped salad, parsley, tahini and amba to a sandwich meal called Sabih. Now that I have your taste buds working, let’s talk about growing tips.

Growing tips

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Start seedlings by sowing seed into trays on heat mats the same time you do tomatoes and peppers, around the end of August. Like capsicums and tomatoes, aubergine also loves a sunny sheltered position to grow well. They also need really fertile soil rich in organic matter to produce lots of fruit. Add loads of well made compost or rotted manure, and/or worm castings along with natural minerals especially potassium and calcium. Other additions like sheep pellets or blood and bone help too. The soil needs to be free draining as they are prone to root rot diseases like Fusarium wilt, which kills the plant overnight. Therefore practice crop rotation with this family to minimise risk of soil diseases. If your soil simply isn’t up to scratch then try planting them into large pots. They are frost tender so don’t think about planting them until the last frost has well passed, ie, around the end October, or early November. After some trialling at Fertile Ground we have found that eggplants grow best planted through weedmat. Irrigation is best put under the weed mat before planting. Strip tape irrigation is very cost effective, or soaker hoses or leaky hose work too, especially in low pressure situations.

Next cut holes using a stanley knife at 60-75cm spacings. At Fertile Ground we do zigzag holes to maximise plant space. Seedlings are carefully removed from their pot and planted into holes through the weed mat, and firmed in and watered well. In addition, it is best to cover the newly planted eggplants with a cloche with mikroclima cloth to also increase surrounding temperatures (ideally above 15 degrees Celsius). Cloche cloth can be slid off during sunny days and put back over overnight. Irrigate regularly, but not too much, to avoid root diseases. Pinch out the first flowers to encourage leaf growth so the plant gets established before fruiting begins. As the eggplants mature and fruit start forming, support plants so they don’t topple over with the weight of fruit. Bamboo stakes work a treat, either run horizontally down the row either side of the plants or upright in a three-way tipi style. Use comfrey liquid fertiliser weekly when they start fruiting.

Harvest fruit once they reach almost full size, are still glossy (not dull) and not soft. If seeds are brown then pick earlier. Older varieties of plants have rather nasty spines along the stems and fruit stalk, so it’s advisable to wear gloves when harvesting, and use a pair of secateurs, to avoid breaking branches if fruit is pulled off. The fruit store well once picked in the fridge in airtight containers. Eggplants have good amounts of fibre, B vitamins, potassium and manganese minerals along with cancer inhibiting antioxidants (anthocyanins). So they’re definitely worth growing.

Now back to cooking...