How to successfully grow eggplants

The eggplant's path to its reputation as a vegetable associated with southern cuisine, like many other Solanaceae, was quite long. Indeed, it took several centuries for this plant, with its astonishingly bright fruits and absolutely magnificent hues conveying an image of sunshine and hot summer days, to earn its place in the vegetable gardens and tables of the south of France. Despite this, this beautiful Indian plant can be grown anywhere in France as long as it is provided with the sun it loves.

Native to the Middle East and Asia, it was there that the eggplant began its domestication as a small, thorny bush with small, very unappetizing fruits, before evolving into a plant producing fleshy fruits available in an astonishing variety of shapes and colors that were much more attractive. Once introduced to Europe, eggplants, like all Solanaceae, were associated with witchcraft. Indeed, in the 12th century, it was known under the name melongena, two centuries later it had hardly progressed, its reputation remained more than dubious. The melonge produces fruits that are of poor quality, as clearly explained in The Grant Herbier, then the reference medical encyclopedia. Not stopping there, the scholars of the time gave it a very unencouraging nickname, mala insana, in other words, unhealthy apple. It was only at the end of the 18th century that it was actually cultivated in the vegetable gardens of southern France. It only appeared for the first time in Le Bon Jardinier in 1808. However, it was only presented as a vegetable intended for a fancy stew, which remained a very timid beginning. Overcoming these preconceptions, in 1825 a Parisian greengrocer, Mr. Decouflé, discovered it in Provence and brought it at great expense to the Parisian markets, where it finally managed to seduce. We then began to see recipes appearing in cookbooks where the eggplant had a prominent place, at least six centuries after its arrival! Today, the French appreciate the black and shiny selections and are also beginning to rediscover those that many of their European neighbors have never abandoned, round or long varieties, striped with mauve, entirely white, etc. Still widely consumed in China, Japan and India, perhaps one day we will see the arrival of these varieties with fruits of all sizes, green, white or striped.

De Candolle gives the origin of the modern French term "aubergine" as the Sanskrit vaatingan, which became baadangan in Hindustani, bâdenǧân (بادنجان) in Persian, patlıcan in Turkish, bedengiam, baadanjaan, al-bâdinjân in Arabic (al is the definite article), berenjena in Spanish, albergínia in Catalan, aubergine in French. The Portuguese beringela was apparently adopted in India in the form brinjal, which is found in the French béringéde, bringelle (used in Réunion and Mauritius), and brème in Canadian French. The eggplant was also called mélongène (or mélongine). The philosopher Avicenna was the first to name it melongena, which was retained by the naturalist Linnaeus with the binomial name Solanum melongena. The Latin name mala insana ("unhealthy fruit"), given in the 15th century by the writer Hermolao Barbaro, was used by botanists. It gave rise to the Italian melanzana and the modern Greek melitzána (μελιτζάνα). The name "egg plant", in use in English (United States) "eggplant", originally from the German Eierfrucht, dates from the time of the British occupation of India.

Raw, eggplant is rather bitter, but cooked, its taste resembles that of mushrooms.

Eggplants are rich in potassium, which gives them diuretic properties, and when combined with other vegetables and fruits, they promote intestinal transit. They are very low in calories, fat-free, and rich in soluble fiber and numerous B vitamins. However, be careful not to cook them in oil, which they love to absorb.

This fruit vegetable was also once an ornamental plant. Indeed, eggplants were not very appetizing when they arrived in Europe. They have since become firmly rooted in our culture. For example, in the 1970s in Paris, with the development of parking meters, auxiliaries called "aubergines" were recruited by the police because of the wine-colored color of their uniforms. They also appear in some video games and in literature. Finally, the skin of eggplants was once toxic, a characteristic lost over time with the evolution of selection, but could also have therapeutic uses.

This fruit vegetable was also once an ornamental plant. Indeed, eggplants were not very appetizing when they arrived in Europe. They have since become firmly rooted in our culture. For example, in the 1970s in Paris, with the development of parking meters, auxiliaries called "aubergines" were recruited by the police because of the wine-colored color of their uniforms. They also appear in some video games and in literature. Finally, the skin of eggplants was once toxic, a characteristic lost over time with the evolution of selection, but could also have therapeutic uses.

• Difficulty level : 2/3.
• Density : 26 plants/m².
• Life cycle : Annual in European climates.
• Mode of reproduction : Sexual.
• Type of pollination : Preferential self-pollination but cross-fertilization possible.
• Weight per 1000 seeds : 1 to 5 g.

• Climate zone and hardiness : Eggplant likes warm and temperate climates.
• Soil type : Humiferous, fresh, healthy and deep.
• pH : From 5.5 to 6.
• Humidity : Draining.
• Exposure : Warm and sunny.
• Temperature : At least 25°C, completely protected from frost and with night temperatures above 12°C, below this value the eggplant stops its growth and development.
• Frost resistance : Eggplants require more heat than tomatoes and cannot tolerate any frost. Everything must be done to protect them and plant them where it is and will be warmest.

• Soil preparation : Fertilization with natural fertilizer (vegetable fertilizer) and compost, in late autumn or early spring can be useful.
  
• Transplanting : If you have sown in a tray, transplant a first time into a pot, 4 to 6 weeks after sowing, then into the open ground when frost is no longer a risk. If you have already sown in a pot or pressed clod, plant directly in place.
• Watering :
  • Frequency: Regular watering.
  • Quantity: Moderate watering is recommended, especially since eggplants are particularly sensitive to root asphyxiation.
  • Period: Throughout production.
• Tools : Watering can and pruning shears.
• Weeding : You'll obviously need to eliminate all weeds unless you have remarkably fertile soil. Eggplants are far too greedy to tolerate any competition.
• Hoeing / weeding / earthing up / mulching : Hoeing and weeding are not superfluous. Eggplants appreciate being earthed up. To limit weeding and water loss, mulching may be necessary from the time of planting and throughout its cultivation.
• Winter protection : Eggplant is not grown in winter, so there are no precautions to take.
• Harvest period : From July to October, i.e. within 5 months after sowing.
• Part of the plant : The fruit is eaten.
• Stage : The fruit is eaten immature, when it turns purple, green or white depending on the cultivar, and when it is shiny, in order to eat it before the seeds harden.
• Average yield : An eggplant plant generally produces 6 to 8 fruits, but this figure can be influenced by the variety.

Moderate but regular watering and pruning* are necessary.

Method : Raw in the refrigerator compartment, or dried in a can.

Duration : Raw, eggplant can only be stored for a few days, but dried, it can be stored for several months.

Culinary : "Confie eggplant" is an example of a recipe for cooking with eggplant (/A-19509-aubergines-imam-bayildi.aspx). They can be eaten in a thousand different ways: sautéed, in tian, in ratatouille, stuffed, as caviar...

When growing eggplant north of the Loire, pruning is essential to hasten fruiting. The main stem must be cut off, above the second flower, and from this point, new stems will grow, also to be pinched above the second flower. Choosing this technique increases the number of fruits but also delays maturity.