Eggplant Trial 2020

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  Eggplant is considered by many a ‘minor crop’ vegetable, but it is quite treasured by many people who live in warm and humid areas, especially in Asia and Africa.  Often it is considered a ‘poor mans’ crop (as is okra), yet it has become a great choice for many great recipes {like Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich – on Kaiser Roll; dipped in egg batter and grilled, bread grilled with olive oil/butter, a slice of Asiago cheese, tomato sauce, sprinkled with Parmesan, and shredded leaves of fresh basil – YUM!}

(Solanum malangena) specie originates from India and the region. The name ‘eggplant’ is used in English, perhaps, because when first seen by Europeans to India they saw the types which are small, egg-shaped fruit.  It is assumed that Arabic traders carried seeds of many types from India to Africa and Spain about two thousand years ago. Wild types contain glycoalkaloids, which causes a bitter taste and are useful in some African cuisines. 

Type: Home Garden

Plant Description:  dwarf plant, open habit, dark purple stems, dark green leaves, violet blooms, well suited for container or small spaces

Maturity Range:  Early to Midseason

Fruit Color, size, quantity:  Dark purple/black, small teardrop 4-5" long x 2-3" wide, will bear over a long period if fruit harvested as they mature for consumption 

Quality Notes:  Nice eating quality, small size allows for one or two-person servings, the skin is thin for a purple type

Sample Source:  Seed Savers Exchange

Plans:  Save seed; market as a Home Garden item for containers, raised beds, and small spaces.  Sample to ministries of small plot gardeners.

W’s: What I see in this variety is the uniqueness of dwarf attractive plant with appealing dark pendulous fruit just waiting to be harvested for my meal.  It tastes good and is of a size suited for one meal, fried or mixed into a casserole.  Persons who like to blend garden veggies with flowers will find this a good item to include... not overpowering in size and space required.  I will share the seed of this variety to those many persons who have little space to grow, yet deserve the fresh quality of nice eating eggplant.

 Type: Home Garden

Plant Description:  Short bush, violet stems and dark green leaves, purple blooms

Maturity range: Early to midseason

Fruit color, size, quantity:  Purple round/teardrop shape,2-3" wide x 3-4" long, purple calyx with no spines, nice yields if harvested regularly... enough for a nice serving.

Quality Notes:  Has nice interior quality, and flavor typical eggplant taste, the skin may need to be peeled before frying or baking due to toughness

Sample Source:  Seed Savers Exchange

Plans:  Save seed, trial in containers and small plot garden spaces

W's: What I see is a small plant with a strong habit to produce useful fruit in a small space.  And, I see a parent line to be used in making future crosses toward a more refined fruit than is presently on this line.  Container gardens are important for the many millions who lack open land for traditional gardens.

Type:  Home Garden teardrop

Plant description: Open Bush plant, green stems, green leaves, no spines

Maturity range:  Medium early

Fruit Color, size, quantity:  purple skin, small teardrop 3" wide x 5" long, rather low yield but might improve if grown in containers and harvested regularly, calyx has no spines

Quality notes:  slight dullness to fruit color; slight greenish tint interior when cut open

Sample Source:  Seed Savers Exchange

Plans:  Save seed - retrial in containers and raised bed gardens.

W's: What I see is not all that impressive or inspiring... but when looking closer I see some potential as a parent line to improve other container types.  It may prove to be a nice strong parent to give a better plant to other dwarf types we are experimenting with. 

 Type: Fresh Market and Home Garden

Plant Description:  bushy plant, green stems, green leaves, violet bloom

Maturity Range:  Main season

Fruit color, size, quantity:  large round deep Purple/Black up to 12" across, green calyx with spines

Quality Notes:  thicker skin, OK quality, Nice marketing appearance for local farm market, rivals Black Beauty for type

Sample Source:  Seed Savers Exchange

Plans:  Save seed; sample seed packets to cooperators, offer as Bedding Plant

W's:  What I see is a rather short bush plant with enormous fruit... though not that many of them.  It is attractive and will make very nice slices for eggplant parmesan sandwich. Who:  I view this as more of a home garden variety than commercial due to type of tight bush plant, spines on the calyx, and rather low yields.

Type:  Fresh Market and Home Garden Asian type

Plant description:  tall bush, open habit, purple stem with purplish leaves, violet blooms, no spines on leaves.

Maturity range:  Mid Season

Fruit Color, size, quantity:  dark Purple Asian type 6-7" long x 2" wide, decent yields and easy to snip or pull off ready fruit

Quality notes:  Nice quality if picked young, notes some bitterness if allowed to mature too long; some variability among plants for shape and straight/curve

Sample Source:  Jeremiah Gettle of Baker Creek Seed

Plans:  Save seed and make selections

W's: What I see is a nice item collected for its nice appearance and good plant.  The seed I have received has a few off types so with a bit of selection work the line may be more uniform.  Who: We shall retrial and offer to ministries working among Asian people groups.

 Type:  Fresh Market and Home Garden

Plant description:  Tall open habit, pink/violet stems, green leaves with some spines,  violet blooms

Maturity range:  Main Season

Fruit color, size, quantity:  Purple round fruit with white accents, 6-8" wide, very good appearance, some spines on green calyx.

Quality notes:  VERY good eating quality, very attractive exterior with quite tender skin (which may hurt its shelf life to more than local markets)   It may need some structural support for tall branches to hold fruit off ground later in the season... blooms and sets well as long as water and nutrition available late in the season.

Sample Source:  Seed Savers Exchange < Judith Conway.

Plans:  Save seed, market as a bedding plant, and seed packet samples to interested collaborators.  

W’s: What I see is a very attractive plant for its unique stem color and contrast to the green leaves.  The open tall habit makes it easy to view fruit as it matures and when ready to harvest easy to reach and clip off the plant.  Who: The beautiful exterior color makes it really special to the eye, and the eating quality is very nice.  Another fine example of generations of seed selection work of eggplant by Italian gardeners.   

 Type: Local Fresh Market and Home Garden

Plant description: short bush, green stems, and leaves, white blooms, some spines on the back of leaves.  

Maturity range: Mid-season

Fruit color, size, quantity:  green oval fruit of 4'6" across, 4-8 fruit per plant.

Quality Notes:  Quite sweet compared to all other eggplants in trial, thin and tender skin (does not need to be peeled before frying or baking), some spines on the calyx and underside of leaves may cause some scratching when looking for fruit and harvesting.  Thin and tender skin will limit the time from the plant to local markets... will shrivel within a day or two of harvesting.

Sample Source:  Seed Savers Exchange

Plans:  Save seed, make available as seed packets for trials, produce plants for HG and Bedding Plants.  Make selections away from spines on leaves and calyx.

W's: What I see is a compact attractive plant that will do well in small space gardens and raised bed garden plots. The fruit is a surprise for its dull green color but then appreciate the tender skin and very nice eating quality - the finest eggplant I have ever eaten (fried and baked).  This will taste different than many Asian types or more familiar purple-skinned types of the fresh market. This is unique and quite tasty; the spines on the leaves and calyx, and tender skin make this a variety most likely never to be in commercial produce markets.

Type:  Fresh Market and Home Garden

Plant description:  tall upright open, green stem and green leaves, violet bloom

Maturity: Early - Midseason

Fruit color, size, quantity:  striped violet/white long and bulb 5" long x 2" wide, green calyx w/no spines

Quality notes:  good eating quality if picked young - matures quickly

Sample Source:  Seed Savers Exchange > Will Bonsall from Sri Lanka

Plans:  Save Seed - make selections, retrial, and test with cooperators

W's: What I see is a nice plant with mostly uniform blocky long fruit which are easily packed for market.  Eating quality is nice for the home kitchen garden. Who: Attractive fruit on a nice plant would make this variety a complement to most any intercropped garden space.

Type:  Fresh Market and Home Garden

Plant description:  short well-branched bush, green stems and green leaves, violet blooms

Maturity range: mid-main season

Fruit color, size, quality:  Purple and white striped, medium oval, good yields, green calyx with no spines

Quality notes:  attractive fruit with elongated alternating stripes on shiny thin skin... tender and tasty (when fried or baked in lasagna)

Sample source:  Seed Savers Exchange < Gandia, Spain

Plans:  produce seed and plants for home gardens and bedding plants

W's: What I see is a good home garden plant with very attractive fruit of excellent eating quality... making it a special variety worthy of sharing.  Who:  Those who appreciate growing and enjoy the eating of fresh eggplant... just about anywhere.  

Type:  Fresh Market and Home Garden Asian

Plant description:  Bushy, green stems, green branches, violet blooms

Maturity Range: mid to main season

Fruit color, size, quantity:  long purple Asian type 4-6" long x 1.5-2" wide, moderate yield capacity.

Quality notes:  Attractive plant, the fruit of moderate eating quality

Sample Source:  Gourdgeous Farm < Sun Seeds

Plans:  save seed, retrial as a standard check item

W's: What I see when viewing this old standard variety (to US market) is a bushy plant with hard-to-find fruit of moderate yields, and OK flavor.  It is not a variety which 'grabs' me for anything really noteworthy or exceptional but is necessary to keep trialing as a standard to compare against.

 Type: Home Garden

Plant description:  short bush, green stems with green leaves.  violet blooms

Maturity:  early - midseason

Fruit color, size, quantity:  elongated blocky purple 2" wide x 7-8" long, green calyx no spines, moderate yield capacity

Quality notes:  fruit matures quickly if left on the plant too long

Sample Source:  Seed Savers Exchange

Plans:  Save some seed for future trials and potential breeding crosses

W's: What I see is a plant most likely selected for a specific region or purpose or market.  It does not show in this trial any exceptional traits to merit promotion to our own markets, but this does not mean it is not worthy of seed saving or future trialing, which we shall do. 

Type:  Fresh Market and Home Garden

Plant description:  Bushy habit, green stems, green leaves, violet blooms

Maturity range:  Midseason

Fruit color, size, quantity:  Purple with white undertones, especially around calyx,  Round 5-8" across, may have lower yield capacity due to the size of the plant and larger-sized fruit.  Green calyx with nubby spines.

Quality Notes:  Very attractive, Very nice interior and taste has a slight sweetness.

Sample Source:  Seed Savers Exchange

Plans:  Save Seed, make selections for type and fruit sets.  Offer as plants for local bedding plant sales and seed packet samples to ministries desirous of this type.

W's: What  I see is a very nice selection made by people with a specific appreciation for a beautiful appearance and great taste of eggplant.  Who: Italians and other Mediterranean countries have grown and consumed eggplant for many generations, and have made some exceptional selections... this is one of many others. 

Type:  Home Garden

Plant Description: very short open plant, green leaves, purple stems, light violet blooms

Maturity Range:  early

Fruit color, size, quantity:  light purple with greening near calyx and blossom end, green calyx, teardrop shape 5" long x 3" wide

Quality Notes - nice quality interior though a bit green in color, loses tenderness of skin if matured to a larger size; has container growing potential

Sample Source:  Seed Savers Exchange

Plans:  save some seed, test in containers and small plot garden space

W's: What I see in this variety is a good early open plant for container growing, and yet I wonder if the region of Asia it was selected from has reasons and purpose not yet familiar to me... the fruit coloration does not fit my understanding as desirable for markets.  I hope that after more sampling and trialing some good information will come to us in feedback reports.