All information on this website is property of New Moon Farm and Suzanne R. Ballard Copyright 2010
2011 Eggplant Variety Listing from New Moon Rising
Growing eggplant has always been a New Moon specialty and we have grown many different varieties, from all over the world. We will have plants available for some of these varieties in May, so save some space in your garden. If you don't want to grow your own, we will also have eggplant available at market later in the summer.
Go to Basic Eggplant 101 for more info about eggplant in general or Aubergine for recipes.
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Eggplant is the perfect garden veggie for our climate. It can take our summer heat and humidity, in fact, it thrives and in it! Eggplant also requires a minimum of care to produce a bountiful harvest. It is a tasty and versatile, nearly foolproof plant that even the most novice gardened can grow successfully. Since eggplant requires warmer weather to produce, it is usually planted in mid-June. Most of these varieties will be available as plants.
Variety/Item Name Description Type/Origin
Rosa Bianca Prized by chefs and gardeners alike for its creamy, mild flesh and lovely appearance, this Italian heirloom eggplant has become very popular. Well-filled, round to tear-drop-shaped fruit is white with soft lavender streaks outside, and inside flesh white and sweet with no trace of bitterness. Delicious for slicing, stuffing, or any eggplant use. 75 days. Italian Heirloom
Black Bell Plant produces good yields of large oval purple-black eggplants. This black eggplant is an excellent quality variety with a long shelf life. Suitable for home gardens and market growers. Disease Resistant. 68 days. Italian type; (F1) Hybrid
Black Beauty This variety is nearly 100 years old, and still well loved as the classic big-fruited black eggplant. Glossy fruits become quite large but are well shaped, and perfect for slicing into thick eggplant steaks for grilling or eggplant Parmesan. 80 days. Italian Heirloom
Fengyuan This slender Asian eggplant is one of the longest available. Its beautiful purple skin is so thin that peeling is unnecessary and creamy white flesh is reliably mild with no bitterness. Plants produce an abundance of fruit that can grow well over a foot long. Easy to grow and wonderful for grilling or adding to stir fries. 65 days. Asian Heirloom
Tsakoniki Tsakoniki is the most famous of the Greek heirloom eggplants. The long fruit are beautifully striped in purple and white, and the flesh is nicely sweet. An annual festival is held in this region of Greece around this great eggplant. 80-85 days. Greek Heirloom
Thai Long Green This heirloom from Thailand is becoming popular with gourmet chefs.Very mild and sweet, the 10-12 inches long, very slender fruit, are a beautiful light-lime green. One of the best tasting eggplants with superb flavor and very tender; good yields on 2-3 feet tall plants. 85 days. Asian Heirloom
Malaysian Dark Red Tender and delicious violet-colored fruit are long and slender. This productive and tasty heirloom variety comes from the Southeast Asian country of Malaysia. A hard-to-find but very good variety that is perfect for frying. 80 days. Asian Heirloom/Rare
Edirine Rare Heirloom "The seed was introduced in 2009 by Baker Creek Seed Company. The original seed was collected in Edirne, Turkey in 1948 and stored in the USDA Germplasm Repository, where it received the prosaic designation "PI 169659." In 2008, it was grown out in Michigan! The grower reported that the tear-drop fruits to 6 inches in length were purple with soft white striping, similar to Listada de Gandia, but earlier and more productive in her northern climate." ~Abundant Acres An interesting variety, I purchased seeds the first year it was available from Baker Creek. Sadly, just 3 years later, they no longer stock this variety. 70-85 days. Turkish Heirloom/Rare
Casper Medium size, very attractive, smooth ivory-white fruit that have a very mild mushroom-like flavor. Prolific plant. Fruit ripens early. An excellent variety for specialty growers and gardeners. 75 days. Asian Type
Black Champion This is an Asian variety. Shiny, bright black color. Fine flesh and less seeds. Up to 18 inches long with a pointy tip. The plants are disease resistant and high yielding. Pretty typical of the Asians. 80 days. Asian Type
Long Purple This old variety dates back to the 1850's in America. Plants give good yields of 9-inch long club-shaped fruit, mild and firm fleshed. Plants are very hardy and can be planted a little later in the season as they will still yield well in cooler weather. 80 days. Italian Heirloom
Thai Yellow Egg Famous in Thailand, the egg-sized fruit are picked when they are bright golden-yellow. They are used in many Thai dishes and as a garnish. A unique variety for specialty growers. 70-80 days. Asian Heirloom
Kamo A highly prized traditional kyo yasai or Kyoto vegetable, from the Kamo area of Japan, it has been a delicacy in that region for hundreds of years. This unique fruit is round with a flat bottom, purple-black skin, purple calyx and weighs up to 1/2 lb. Served at top restaurants in Japan, its dense flesh has a rich flavor. Hard to find in the U.S. 80 days. Japanese Heirloom
Bianca a Uovo White egg shaped fruit on a very bushy plant which is 2-3 feet across. Best flavor when picked about the size of a jumbo egg. Taste/texture described as mushroom like. Does well in wide variety of climates. Will work in pots. 75 - 80 days. Italian Variety
Violetta di Firenze Large stocky and beautiful eggplant with rich purple coloring. Typical of the eggplants needs lots of heat to produce the heaviest crops. An heirloom variety known for its all-around. Imported. Large, heavy fruit is about 5 inches long and nearly as wide with an attractive scalloped shape. Mild white flesh has an excellent flavor and is not at all bitter. Plants produce heavy crops. 85 days. Italian Heirloom
Turkish Orange This beautiful heirloom eggplant comes from Turkey. The 3-inch round fruit are best cooked when they are green to light orange. It has very sweet and flavorful flesh which mparts a strong, rich flavor to any dish. The small plants yield well. Great for ethnic markets. Very ornamental looking. 80 days. Turkish Heirloom
Some of the harder to grow varieties may not be available, if conditions exist that prevent planting, etc. As always, harvests will vary due to growing and weather conditions.
Nature is still the deciding factor in any farming venture and no express guarantee is either expressed or implied.
All information on this website is property of New Moon Farm and Suzanne R. Ballard Copyright 2010