In the Garden with Pat Rubin

Bee garden writer Pat Rubin writes about everything that grows, from flowers and trees to vegetables and lawns. Pat volunteered for several years as a Placer County Master Gardener and has written about gardening for many national and regional publications. In addition to gardening, she spends time raising and showing miniature horses and miniature donkeys.

In the Garden will include news, events, advice and other gardening tidbits. Pat will also answer reader questions.

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June 1, 2007

Eggplant tips

Eggplant is one of those vegetables you either love or you turn up your nose in distaste.

I’m among the ranks of eggplant lovers. I admit I’m not very creative in the kitchen with this purple orb. I like it in moussaka or else peeled, sliced thinly, dipped in egg and matzo meal and sautéed lightly on both sides.

It’s a beautiful plant: dark purple stems, green leaves crisscrossed with purple veins. The lavender colored flowers peek out of dark purple calyxes. The fruit is so pretty I almost hate to pick it.

According to What’s Cooking America, eggplant is also called aubergine, garden egg, egg apple, berenjena, brinjal, patlican, melongene, melanzane and guinea squash. It’s related to tomatoes and potatoes, and they can share some of the same afflictions, so you shouldn’t plant eggplant in the same soil you planted tomatoes or potatoes in the year before. If you must, be sure to add plenty of compost to keep the soil healthy and productive.

Check local nursery shelves, and you’ll be surprised at the varieties of eggplant available. There are the typical oval shaped varieties like Dusky, Black Magic and Black Bell. Then there are the long, slim Japanese types like ichiban, and, lastly, the mostly ornamental Easter Egg.

You can’t plant eggplant early. It hates cold, wet weather. It thrives on heat and sun. Transplants have only been available on nursery shleves for the last month or so.

In the garden, give them some room--plant them 18 to 20 inches apart. Harvest fruit when it is shiny and firm. Let it go too long, and the skin gets dull and the fruit bitter. I use this test to determine if the eggplant is ripe: press on it with your fingers. If it’s hard, it isn’t ripe. If it gives a bit, pick it. It you push on it and the dent doesn't disappear, you've waited too long.

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