Aubergines? They’ve hit a purple patch
Labelled ‘mischievous’ by medieval herbalists, these funky fruit have a knockout taste ...and they’re so easy to grow
IWAS in Turkey when my taste buds were awakened to aubergines. It was the mid-1990s and I ordered imam bayildi in a traditional restaurant. The name of the stuffed aubergine dish means ‘the imam fainted’ and refers to its knockout taste – I certainly didn’t collapse in delight but was taken by its aroma, flavour and texture.
Until then I’d given the purple veg a wide berth. Yet, thanks to my culinary encounter on holiday, I was eager to create aubergine dishes at home. These days I still have a soft spot for aubergines, whether crushed into baba ganoush, a smoky Middle Eastern dip, or baked in a classic Italian parmigiana di melanzane.
As far as I’m concerned, the pleasure of eating aubergines is only improved by growing your own fruit from scratch. Ready grown young plants are available in the spring, but for a greater choice of varieties, start aubergines from seeds sown this month or next. Expect plants to bear fruit between July and September.
A member of the Solanaceae family of plants, aubergine (Solanum melongena) is related to
You get them in white, green, yellow and orange too!
tomatoes, chilli peppers and potatoes. Unlike all the edibles just mentioned – which originate from the Americas – aubergines were first cultivated in China or India and are thought to derive from a wild species of nightshade.
By the 16th Century they had arrived in Britain but were treated with suspicion by taste makers. For example, herbalist John Gerard described them as ‘madde apples’ in 1597, and suggested that Brits stick to tried and tested crops rather than trying aubergines, because ‘doubtless these apples have a mischievous qualitie’.
Mention aubergines and most people will think of plump, pearshaped fruit with dark purple skin. That’s certainly what’s offered by supermarkets, but there are actually white, green, yellow and orange ones, along with lots of purple types, in many shapes and sizes, from small and round to long and thin.
Starting aubergines from seed is easy. Fill a 3in pot with seed compost, level and tap to settle. Lightly firm with the bottom of another pot, and then scatter a few seeds over the surface – most will germinate, so only sow one or two more seeds than necessary. Cover with a fine layer of sieved compost, water and label.
Place the pot inside a heated windowsill propagator to germinate or improvise by slipping a small, clear freezer bag over the pot, holding it secure with an elastic band.
Expect seedlings to appear within seven to 14 days. At this point, remove the pot from its protected environment and stand it on a sunny windowsill.
When seedlings are about 1in tall, transplant each into a 3in pot filled with compost – continue moving them into slightly larger pots whenever roots start to poke their way through drainage holes in the base. Stake plants with 12in-long, split bamboo canes when they are 6in tall to encourage straight stems.
Plants can be relocated to the garden once there’s no longer any danger of frost – usually in late May or early June.
Either set individually into 12inwide containers or arrange three in a growing bag. Another option is to plant in the soil, spacing them 16in apart in a sunny spot. Stake stems with stout garden canes. Two weeks before moving them out of the house, gradually acclimatise plants to life outdoors. Start by putting them out during the day (a sheltered, semi-shaded spot is best) and bringing indoors at night.
For the final seven days, leave them outside 24/7, covering with fleece – during the final three days, only cover at night.
Water plants regularly over summer and feed every fortnight with a high-potash fertiliser after the first flower appears.
Once plants bear six fruits (ten if it’s a small-fruited variety), ensure they ripen by removing any further flowers that form. Harvest fruit when they are full size, slightly firm and their skin is shiny.