Formative Eggplant

It's going to be an eggplant! I have never had much success with growing vegetables. Fruits and berries, yes. Veg, no, but I went out on a limb this year and bought starts rather than trying to grow anything from seed. So far, I have only harvested one zucchini, but this formative eggplant gives me hope. The peppers (sweet and jalapeño) are almost ready to bloom as well. The tomatoes are flowering, although I have yet to see any sign that the pollinators are doing their job. And then there's the kale. After enjoying the thinnings as "microgreens," I've returned to my original opinion that it's not fit for human consumption. Scratch that one off next year's list of possibilities.

Moussaka on the Hoof

Ever wonder what an eggplant flower looks like? Well, here ya go. The blossoms are like those of many other Solanums, but on steroids. Yep, eggplant is a member of the same family as potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and deadly nightshade. You might ask yourself why some of them are edible and others are not. It depends on the level of certain alkaloids (notably solanine). Most of us know that you shouldn't eat the leaves or flowers of any of the Solanaceae, and that the eyes and greened-up portion of potatoes which have been exposed to light should be cut away before preparing. That's where the highest concentrations of solanine occur. However, we're not likely to make that mistake because solanine also renders those parts quite bitter, making them distasteful to garden predators like groundhogs and bunny rabbits. Other Solanaceae like bittersweet and deadly nightshade have high (even lethal) concentrations of solanine throughout the entire plant. Finally, it should be said that some people are more sensitive to solanine than others, and should avoid any plant in the family which is otherwise considered edible. As for me, I like a nice moussaka.

Garden Cart

I've had this garden cart for several years, and it only just occurred to me that instead of lugging plants in and out of the house morning and evening, I could just put them in the cart and wheel it into and out of the garage while I'm hardening them off for planting. I'm going to take a chance and put them out later this week, although our nighttime temperatures are still dipping into the low 40s. If I have to, I'll put protective covers on them if there's a threat of frost. What you see here includes two Sungold tomatoes (a friend calls this variety "tomato candy," and I have to agree), one zucchini (no one needs more than one), an eggplant (experiment!), and four peppers (two sweet and two jalapeno). Given how well my other plants are doing, this year may well be the best garden I've had in the 35 years I've lived here!

Eggplant Surprise

Day 308: Since the eggplants began blooming in late July, I have been watching closely for any sign of developing fruit. How then did a four-inch dark purple object escape my attention until yesterday afternoon? It is still quite firm, and because the plants came to me from one of our Morris dancers, I have no idea what size to expect it to attain, but I am delighted by this Eggplant Surprise. My favourite way to prepare it is as a substitute for pasta in lasagna. My mother sliced it, dipped it in batter for stove-top frying and served it up with maple syrup like pancakes, perhaps not a traditional method of preparation but tastier than it sounds. That said, eggplant is on the same spectrum as okra: if you don't care for it, no amount of fancy chefery or cajoling will change your mind. That's okay. It just means more for me!

Solanum Melongena, Have A Guess

 Day 282: Some of you will undoubtedly recognize this plant, but it's a new one for me. I have only seen it in the seedling form, never blooming, and most certainly never in fruit. It is not native to the Pacific Northwest (not hardly!), nor is it an invasive species (although I wouldn't object to it spreading in my garden). I'll give you a hint: it's a member of the Solanum family, kin to potatoes, tomatoes and woody nightshade (poisonous, but not the infamous "deadly," which belongs to a different family). Its fruits (berries) are usually purple, but some varieties are white or striped. Some may be the size of small eggs, but others may weigh over two pounds. The fruits are edible and considered delicious by many people (myself included), and may be sliced, breaded and fried, used as a substitute for pasta in lasagna or roasted whole, stuffed or plain. Have you got it yet? Eggplant! This is my first year growing them, thanks to one of our Morris dancers providing me with two healthy starts earlier this spring. They're doing quite well in a container set just off my back step where I will remember to water them daily.