“你的三明治里有什么?”看起来真恶心。”
意识到自己是那个在学校吃午餐的孩子,感觉很奇怪。被腊肠、pb&j、火腿和奶酪包围着,从我的茄子帕尔玛三明治中伸出来的发亮的黑色表皮看起来确实有点不寻常,我想。
我的西西里父亲经常在炉子边烤茄子,从我记事起,茄子就一直是我们晚餐菜单上的主食,所以当我意识到我的同学们没有认出茄子时,我有点震惊。打开三明治,看到的是脆脆的、用橄榄油煎过的外皮,上面是一种(对我来说)熟悉的奇妙香料味,我听到的是一片“恶心!”
最终,我学会了耸耸肩,继续咀嚼。他们怎么想真的不重要,因为我知道,毫无疑问,茄子很好吃。现在我自己打理厨房,它就像以前一样是我的主食。混合在活泼的巴巴甘奴(baba gannouj)中,分层放入穆萨卡(moussaka)中,与辣椒一起煸炒,与多汁的伊玛目巴亚尔迪(imam bayaldi)一起烘焙,与杂烩一起炖煮,当然,还可以裹上面包,被亲切地炸成我童年最爱的茄子帕尔马干酪,这种光滑的紫色水果几乎用途无穷。
But maybe you grew up unfamiliar with eggplant and even joined the girls wrinkling their noses at my “weird” sandwich. Maybe you are suffering from a lack of familiarity or a serious case of had-crappy-eggplant-once syndrome.
If your experiences with this flavorful berry are only limited to a dish of poorly-prepared, bitter, store-bought eggplant, don’t fret — you can be cured. I challenge you to give eggplant an opportunity in both your garden and kitchen because once you taste that first bite of savory-sweet, tender, homegrown goodness, you’ll be healed entirely.
Requirements For Growing Eggplant
Eggplant has a reputation for being a little difficult to grow, but I believe this comes from a misunderstanding of its needs. And its needs really aren’t demanding — mostly, they’re just hungry for warmth, like their tomato and pepper cousins. Basically, if you feel confident growing tomatoes, eggplant will be easy.
Related Post:Companion Planting for Eggplant
As with most garden vegetables, eggplant needs fertile, well-draining soil in a sunny location (at least six hours of direct sunlight a day). Like many nightshades, eggplant requires ample warm temperatures to thrive. The plants really won’t grow until the soil temperature is at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit and will be at risk of damage until the temperature has warmed to mid-70s during the day and the 50s at night.
If you have a long growing season, you can simply direct sow them. Folks around my area of the Ozarks and south know that heat comes quickly in the spring and doesn’t let up for a long time. We may be sweaty, but at least we are growing eggplant that is hearty!
Producing plants spread around 3 to 4 feet at maturity, so space seedlings accordingly. Vertically-speaking, they’ll grow a few feet tall, then grace themselves with potentially large fruit — similar in style to tomatoes. As such, they’ll benefit from being staked or caged for some extra support. Add a decent amount of mulch around the base of the plant to keep it warm and restrict weeds, and you should be on your way to some tasty dinners.
Tips For Growing Eggplant In Cooler Regions
There are several ways to approach this challenge, particularly for northern growers with shorter growing seasons. Growing eggplant indoors from seed is one method. Start the seeds around 8 to 12 weeks before the last frost date, and you may have fruit within 70 days of getting them transplanted.
另一种方法是在更容易加热的苗床或大锅中种植茄子。将茄子盆栽的另外一个好处是,你可以在天气变冷之前把它带进来,你会发现它的秘密。它实际上是一种常年生植物!
Harvesting Eggplants
If you’ve direct-seeded your crop, you should expect rewards for your effort around 100 to 150 days from sowing. Transplanted seedlings will be ready sooner. Some people’s bad perceptions of the flavor of eggplant may come from eating eggplant harvested too late. While eggplant is sweet, tender, and soft-seeded during its youth, old eggplant is bitter and features rock-hard seeds.
The perfect time to pluck your harvest, therefore, is when their skin is both shiny and firm to the touch. I’d always recommend erring on picking them a little early rather than letting them go too long, as harvesting the fruit also encourages the plant to continue growth and production.
Of course, don’t mourn if you do find a fruit that has lost its luster. Leave it a little longer until it is dull and slightly yellowed, and you can get your seeds for next year.
If you have a limited time to pull in a harvest, consider pinching off blossoms once your plants have 6 to 7. That will help them direct their energy to finishing those fruits without wasting effort on those that won’t ripen before the killing frost.
Troubleshooting Eggplant Pests And Problems
如果你的茄子开花不结果,可能还是因为太冷而不能生长。
Flea beetles will probably be another one of your biggest annoyances. They’ll pepper the foliage with tiny holes that slow growth and in particularly infested situations, kill the plant.
Most of the time, flea beetles are more of an irritation than a serious threat. They can only truly affect sick or young plants. If needed, protect your seedlings with floating row covers until they can fend for themselves.
Related Post:How To Get Rid Of Japanese Beetles
骚扰夜荫树的害虫氏族通常的嫌疑犯也会露出他们的面孔。小心马铃薯甲虫和番茄角虫。如果你的花园是一个后院大小,你可以通过手采摘和瞄准好的喷水来控制。
The best way to avoid other diseases likeVerticillium枯萎病和白粉病总是要轮作的。Never plant eggplant or any of itsSolanumrelatives in the same place that they grew last year. Ideally, you’d want a 4-year interval before any nightshades go back in that spot.
Eggplant Varieties
One of the best things about growing eggplant is discovering the huge array of varieties that exist. Pearl-like white globe eggplant, long, arm-length Asian eggplant, green and red fruits that look almost like tomatoes, an array of shapes that go far beyond the typical classic black store-bought variety. Peruse this list and dream some delicious dreams!
Applegreen
A better choice for northern growers,this bright green fruitis sometimes ready to harvest in as little as 62 days.
Slim Jim
This is a more compact varietythat produces smaller fruits that are lavender-purple. They’re a good choice for containers.
Black Beauty
Theglossy, black varietyyou’re used to, this cultivar needs a long growing season.
Fengyuan Purple
Athin-skinned, sweet-fleshed Asian eggplantabsolutely fabulous in stir fry. With a lovely shade of purple and long, slender shapes perfect for slicing, you can’t go wrong.
Casper
A white eggplant that cooks up to an incredibly creamy texture.It ripens early, and would be quite eye-catching at a farmer’s market.
As a note for the aware, there is a genetically modified variety of eggplant that has been developed — and not without rightful controversy. Despite the backlash,Bt brinjal was commercially debuted in Indiaduring the 2013-2014 growing season. Do your part to protect what genetic diversity you can, and make sure that heirloom crops keep their rightful place in your garden.
Eggplant Background
You don’t need to know the botanical name ofSolanum melongena找出这种植物属于茄科。看一眼这些带紫色的花,你就会发现它们与辣椒和番茄的表亲有惊人的相似之处。Unlike the American-originating pepper, tomato, and potato, however, eggplant originally hails from Sri Lanka and India.
Related Post:Growing Tomatoes
茄子在它的出生地被称为茄子,在英国和欧洲大部分地区被称为茄子,历史上被误译为意大利的melanzana,这种有很多名字的植物是亚洲、中东、非洲和地中海菜系的主食。然而,最让西方人头疼的可能是这个名字本身。我们为什么叫它茄子?
The answer will come clear if you experiment with planting the incredibly wide range of eggplant cultivars that have arisen from the world’s long love affair with this berry.An old cultivarthat was introduced to 1500s British gardens is small, white, and egg-shaped, making the association suddenly easy to understand.
Have I convinced you to give it a shot? For those of you who say you don’t like it, why? Can I give you any cooking tips to help you see the light? And if you already understand the delectable opportunities offered by this useful nightshade, what’s your favorite way to use it? Let me know in the comments below!
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