Aubergine

The A to Z Challenge

The aubergine, aka eggplant, is one of the easiest vegetables to grow for a beginner.  This is one plant that thrives in humid weather and rich well drained soil.  My favorite cultivar is the Black Beauty with its plump and deep purple, almost black glossy appearance when ready to harvest.  The eggplants will stay the winter and under right conditions stay many years but it is most susceptible to frost.

I end up planting two to four  Black Beauties in soil mixed with commercial cow manure and rotted material from my compost.  The aubergine is a thirsty and hungry plant so I water often and fertilize sparingly every two weeks or so.  Unfortunately the eggplants are also susceptible to the ever present nematodes, an invisible organism that strangles the root system.

When I harvested my eggplant fruit last year, I sliced them up, dunked them in boiling water, chilled them in ice water, drained them, put them in a bag, and finally in the freezer.  They looked fine going in but when I thawed them to use, they were a soggy mess.

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