Eggplant Seeds - 'Black Beauty' Organic HEIRLOOM Seeds- (Solanum melongena)
Solanum melongena.
Black Beauty forms a large, drop-shaped fruit perfect for slicing. Thinking eggplant parmesan?
- 80 days from transplanting.
- Light: Full sun
- Fruit size: Up to 8 inches long
- Matures: 80 days
- Plant spacing: 24 to 36 inches apart
- Plant size: 3 to 4 feet tall
Tender, tasty purplish-black fruits are great in a variety of dishes. Excellent breaded or fried. Eggplants love warm weather but are damaged by cold. Plants produce 4 to 6 large fruit, or more if kept harvested and well watered. Fruit makes a good "boat" for stuffing. For best quality, harvest before its glossy, dark skin begins fading to dull purple. To determine ripeness, just remember that skin color and tone (glossy versus dull) is more important than size of the fruit. Easy to grow. Keeps well.
A beautiful vegetable with lovely lavender blossoms, Black Beauty is pretty enough to grow in the flower garden. Homegrown eggplant is far superior to store bought. Outstanding when harvested at their succulent peak, the skin is tender, so no need to peel it. A widely used international food; there are countless recipes from Italy to China to Russia and beyond.
Vegetable Seeds Per Oz: 6500
Vegetable Description:
Eggplant appears to be a very ancient fruit; the earliest references to it can be found in Chinese and Indian records. Though usually considered a vegetable, botanists classify eggplant as a berry. Early varieties of eggplant were named for their resemblance to large white eggs; in Europe, eggplant is usually referred to as aubergine. In medieval times eggplant were called mad apples, because they were thought to induce insanity. Experimental horticulturist Thomas Jefferson included varieties of eggplant in his gardens; at the time, growers used eggplant mostly for decorative purposes. Regions of southern and eastern Asia especially appreciate the eggplant, naming it "king of vegetables" and making it a staple of their cuisine. In addition to the traditional purple pear-shape of Black Beauty, eggplant comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Black Beauty is one of the earliest and best known American varieties of eggplant, dating from the early 1900s.
When to sow outside: 2 to 4 weeks after average last frost and when soil temperatures are warm and when outside nighttime temperatures are at least
55°F.
When to start inside: RECOMMENDED. 10 to 12 weeks before average last frost. Transplant seedlings outside 1 to 2 weeks after last frost.
Harvesting: All eggplant varieties should be harvested when fruit is shiny and before skin turns dull. Continual harvest will encourage more production. Harvest at about 6" long. Cut woody stem with pruners. If seeds inside are dark, fruit is past its prime but still edible.
