A very diverse, interesting family, and my favorite crop to grow. Eggplant (S. Melongena) originated in India.
Delicious fried or baked, great in chili, lasagna, eggplant makes a great vegetarian meat substitute. Plants can be light or dark green, or purple, tiny to very large leaves, some have sharp thorns, some are thornless, many types are very ornamental and beautiful!
All seed packs are $2.50 each
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NEW FOR 2009- Very scarce! -"CANNIBAL TOMATO" - Eggplant - (solanum Uporo)- (Hannibal Lector's favorite veggie?) - When I saw the name, I just had to have this rare eggplant for my collection. Fruits were borne on a 4 foot tall plant (in zone 6A - I imagine it gets much bigger in the tropics where it grows as a perennial). The little 3" round eggplant fruits ripened from green to a bright, shiny, deep orange color. (Sorry, I totally forgot to take photos of this gorgeous plant). They were very prolific considering how unseasonably cold our summer was here in Amishland. As an added bonus, the leaves supposedly can be cooked as greens but it is the story we want to hear, why it is called “Cannibal Tomato"? Is this Hannibal Lector's favorite veggie? This member of the solanum (eggplant) family is native to Fiji, Tahiti, Samoa, Cook's Island and other islands in the south Pacific. In Fiji, the legend goes that among cannibal tribes, the cannibal's tomato was regarded as the perfect sauce for the consumption of human flesh, although personally I'm not eager to test this out. The fruits are incredibly bitter to our western palate but then again we don't usually like eating our guest of honor either. Interestingly, there is a cannibal story in my family. My (late) uncle-in-law went on a scientific expedition to the New Guinea jungles some thirty years ago, as an expert assisting an adventurous, very rich member of the famous Forbes family. Their entire expedition disappeared. No traces ever were found. Family legend has it they were eaten by cannibals. It's kind of a family joke but then again....who knows for sure? The infamous cannibal tomato sauce definitely came to my mind. Be the first to horrify your gardening pals and serve a "Cannibal Tomato" sauce with the main course at your next cookout. Vegetarians need not attend.
10 of my own fresh organically grown seeds.
ARUMUGAM'S TAMIL NADU INDIAN EGGPLANT - RARE! LIMITED QUANTITIES -ORDER EARLYI got seeds of this rare eggplant in a seed trade. I lived for 2 and half years in India, although most of that time in the Himalayan Mountains in the now beleaguered state of Kashmir. However I was lucky enough to have travelled all over this fascinating country. Tamil Nadu is the southernmost state of India and the exact opposite climate wise of Kashmir! However Eggplant is eaten everywhere in that country. It is believed eggplant originated there as well. This was a nice medium purple slightly teardropped shaped fruit. Very prolific bushy plants with lovely ornamental purple flowers. The medium sized eggplant had nice sweet white flesh with very little bitterness. All the seeds were at the very bottom of the fruits too, making for fine eating and cooking. Arumugam is a common name in that area of India. As with all my plants I carefully keep them isolated, with agricultural row fabric, so they do not cross in any way. Be the first in your area to grow this exceptionally rare and tasty eggplant or brinjal as the British and Indians call it. Europeans call them aubergine. Italians call it melanzane. 10+ of my own fresh organically grown seeds.
KUMARI SRI LANKA (Ceylon) EGGPLANT- VERY RARE!
My parents lived for years in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) long before all the political problems there began, when it was truly an island paradise or the "Isle of Serendip," as it was once called long ago. This island country was so perfect and beautiful that the word serendipity actually comes from that name. I visited my parents there many times. When I saw the chance to get seeds of a tomato from Ceylon, I jumped at the chance. I know, when I was actually there, why didn't I get them then? Well, the truth of the matter is I was far younger and not doing heirloom gardening at that time.
So, jump many years to the future, and here I am growing this eggplant as a special rememberance and tribute to my parents who both passed away in Sri Lanka. I got my original seeds of this rare eggplant in a seed trade. I never would have guessed that an eggplant from such a hot tropical country as Sri Lanka would have done so well and grown so early in my temperate Zone 6A garden. It was the earliest eggplant I have ever grown, even beating out my " Little Darling Mini Eggplant!" Not only that, it was hardy in our very cold spring we had this year. It just pumped out so many fruits, the plants were smothered in them. These plants grew a good 4 1/2 feet tall and were strong branched as well. The fruit grew about 3 times larger than the baby ones I photographed while still possessing good sweet eating quality. Very sweet white flesh with no bitterness. The fruits were quite strange in coloration and it was hard to catch their beauty in a photograph. A purple color with veins of green through them a though green paint was poured over them. They produced all season, more prolifically than any other eggplant I have ever grown especially since this was such a cool spring and summer here this year. They kept on producing until hard frost, I was amazed at how much cold they could take! And yet, since they are from the tropics, I am sure they would really go to town in a hot climate. You will love this eggplant. To the best of my knowledge I am the only grower and seller of this rare eggplant in the USA. 10+ of my own fresh organically grown seeds.
RATNAYAKE INDIAN EGGPLANT - RARE! GORGEOUS STRIPES! LIMITED QUANTITIES -ORDER EARLY! I got this rare Asian Indian eggplant in a seed trade. I lived for 2 and half years in India, although most of that time in the Himalayan Mountains in the now beleaguered state of Kashmir. However I was lucky enough to have travelled all over this fascinating country, where eggplant is widely grown and eaten. The Ratnayake Eggplant looks a bit similar to the "Udmalbet Indian Eggplant" that I also sell. I don't have any specific information about exactly where in India these come from. These were more prolific and the fruit was creamy white with lovely, wavy, deep purple stripes. Very beautiful fruit indeed. Nice sweet white flesh with no bitterness. Very good eating quality.The fruits grew about 8 inches long on a small 2 to 3 foot high bushy plant. In the photo I am holding a smaller immature eggplant. They had a green calyx. As with all my eggplants, I carefully keep them isolated, with agricultural row fabric, so they do not cross in any way. Be the first in your area to grow this rare and lovely eggplant or brinjal as the British and Indians call it. Europeans call them aubergine. Italians call them melanzane. 10+ of my own fresh organically grown seeds.
SCARLET CHINESE EGGPLANT - VERY RARE SOLANUM -(Solanum integrifolium) - I was given a few dried out fruits of this rare, weird, unknown-to-me, plant. I was told it was the elusive Australian Pumpkin Bush/Tree, however it turned out not to be that, but a truly gorgeous and showy solanum (eggplant) instead. I planted some seeds and lo and behold what a lovely surprise! The ripe, ridged fruit turn a wonderful brilliant orange color. Their shape is exactly like miniature pumpkins. My plants grew about 3-1/2 feet tall, in containers in my zone 6a garden, but I imagine in a warmer climate and planted in the ground they may get much larger.I did a lot of research and was able to positively identify this as "Hmong Red Eggplant." It hails from northern Thailand. The Hmong are a mountain tribal group. A most unusual and rare plant in the Eggplant family. It is also grown through out mountainous areas of Asia.
It is edible but like many eggplants in Asia it has that bitter taste adored by the Orientals, but not so well liked by westerners, who prefer a milder tasting fruit. Fabulous showy ornamental garden plant with pretty purple flowers, deep purple stems and branches, and very large, peculiar shaped leaves. You will love this beautiful plant to show off to your neighbors. And if you feel brave you can try it in a hot, spicy Thai recipe. The hot Thai spices blend well with this type of eggplant. It is certainly pretty enough to be in a flower bed. In the Civil War era in America, eggplants were not considered edible but were grown as specimen plants in flower beds for their beauty. It dries quite nicely and the branches with fruits make great additions to flower arrangements. I found , in my extensive reseach, that this was listed as early as 1879 as "Scarlet Chinese" in Vanderbilt's Seed List of that same year. Fabulous showy garden plant with pretty purple flowers, deep purple stems and branches, and very large peculiar shaped leaves. You will love this beautiful ornamental plant to show off to your neighbors. It dries quite nicely and makes great additions to flower arrangements. 10 of my own fresh organically grown seed.
VERY RARE- GILO BLACK STEM EGGPLANT - Solanum
This is the rarest and most unusual eggplant I have grown. It comes originally from Uganda, Africa. Brilliant scarlet red fruit when ripe. The showy round fruits are 1" to 3". They look very similar to cherry tomatoes when ripe. The name comes from the deep purple, nearly black stems and branches of the plant, which grew about 3 1/2 feet for me in zone 6a, but can get 5 feet tall in warmer regions. Its leaves are rather fuzzy. This plant is called "Gilo" in Brazil, and "Ngilo" in Uganda. The fruits are rather odd tasting for eggplants, very much like green beans or carrots. May be eaten raw or cooked. Lovely white flowers add to its ornamental quality. Please note, those in this photo are not fully ripe and they get much deeper, scarlet red. 10 of my own fresh organically raised seeds.
HEIRLOOM EGGPLANT MIX - This is a MIX ONLY.
- I have had so very many requests for an eggplant mix, that I decided to do one with some of the rarer varieties I have grown. I had diligently saved the seeds but I had not listed all of these on my website, because I did not have large enough quantities of any given kind or was missing photos of them. One or two popular and rare types in this mix I had previously carried on my website but are not available this year until I get larger seed stocks replenished during next year's growout. I have enough seeds from last year's eggplant growouts that I also can include them in this mix.
You may get some some but perhaps not all of these varieties because this is a seed mix:
~LOUISIANA LONG GREEN HEIRLOOM EGGPLANT- - This is a very sweet and mild tasting heirloom which hales from the bayous of Louisiana. Large 8" long banana shaped fruit, very prolific. It is a gorgeous pale green color with very faint stripes. Although from the deep south this did very well in my zone 6A Pennsylvania garden. You will love this rare heirloom beauty. It is obviously the long green eggplant in the photo. There will not be a lot of seeds of this in the mix this year.
~CAMBODIAN GREEN ROUND EGGPLANT While working in a greenhouse I got my original seeds of this fun little eggplant from one of my fellow former refugee workers who had brought this over from her home in Cambodia. It was small, a bit larger than an egg, perfectly round and had faint white stripes on its very bright green skin. Sorry, I have no photo of this. There will not be a lot of seeds of this in the mix this year.
~ RATNAYAKE INDIAN EGGPLANT RARE! ~GORGEOUS STRIPES! I got this rare Asian Indian eggplant in a seed trade. I lived for 2 and half years in India, although most of that time in the Himalayan Mountains in the now beleaguered state of Kashmir. However I was lucky enough to have traveled all over this fascinating country, where eggplant is widely grown and eaten. The Ratnayake Eggplant looks a bit similar to the " Udmalbet Indian Eggplant " that I also sell. I don't have any specific information about exactly where in India these come from. These were more prolific and the fruit was creamy white with lovely, wavy, deep purple stripes. Very beautiful fruit indeed. Nice sweet white flesh with no bitterness. Very good eating quality. The fruits grew about 8 inches long on a small 2 to 3 foot high bushy plant. In the photo I am holding a smaller immature eggplant. They had a green calyx. As with all my eggplants, I carefully keep them isolated, with agricultural row fabric, so they do not cross in any way. Be the first in your area to grow this rare and lovely eggplant or brinjal as the British and Indians call it. Europeans call them aubergine. Italians call them melanzane.
~ARUMUGAM'S TAMIL NADU INDIAN EGGPLANT RARE! I got seeds of this rare eggplant in a seed trade. I lived for 2 and half years in India, although most of that time in the Himalayan Mountains in the now beleaguered state of Kashmir. However I was lucky enough to have traveled all over this fascinating country. Tamil Nadu is the southernmost state of India and the exact opposite climate wise of Kashmir! However, Eggplant is eaten everywhere in that country. It is believed eggplant originated there as well. This was a nice medium purple slightly tear dropped shaped fruit. Very prolific bushy plants with lovely ornamental purple flowers. The medium sized eggplant had nice sweet white flesh with very little bitterness. All the seeds were at the very bottom of the fruits too , making for fine eating and cooking . Arumugam is a common name in that area of India. As with all my plants I carefully keep them isolated, with agricultural row fabric, so they do not cross in any way. Be the first in your area to grow this exceptionally rare and tasty eggplant or brinjal as the British and Indians call it. Europeans call them aubergine. Italians call it melanzane.
~KUMARI SRI LANKA (Ceylon) EGGPLANT VERY RARE! My parents lived for years in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) long before all the political problems there began , when it was truly an island paradise or the "Isle of Serendip" , as it was once called long ago. This island country was so perfect and beautiful that the word serendipity actually comes from that name. I visited my parents there many times. When I saw the chance to get seeds of a tomato from Ceylon, I jumped at the chance. I know, when I was actually there, why didn't I get them then? Well, the truth of the matter is I was far younger and not doing heirloom gardening at that time.
So, jump many years to the future, and here I am growing this eggplant as a special remembrance and tribute to my parents who both passed away in Sri Lanka. I got my original seeds of this rare eggplant in a seed trade. I never would have guessed that an eggplant from such a hot tropical country as Sri Lanka would have done so well and grown so early in my temperate Zone 6A garden. It was the earliest eggplant I have ever grown, even beating out my "Little Darling Mini Eggplant!" Not only that, it was hardy in our very cold spring we had this year. It just pumped out so many fruits, the plants were smothered in them. These plants grew a good 4-1/2 feet tall and were strong branched as well. The fruit grew about 3 times larger than the baby ones I photographed while still possessing good sweet eating quality. Very sweet white flesh with no bitterness. The fruits were quite strange in coloration and it was hard to catch their beauty in a photograph. A purple color with veins of green through them a though green paint was poured over them. They produced all season, more prolifically than any other eggplant I have ever grown especially since this was such a cool spring and summer here this year. They kept on producing until hard frost, I was amazed at how much cold they could take! And yet, since they are from the tropics, I am sure they would really go to town in a hot climate. You will love this eggplant. To the best of my knowledge I am the only grower and seller of this rare eggplant in the USA.
NOTE: : there may be few seeds of a few other rare eggplants not listed here in this mix also, but mostly they will those described above. So this will be a fun mix indeed.
This is a mix only for 20+ of my own fresh organically grown seeds.
SORRY SOLD OUT FOR THE SEASON! UDMALBET EGGPLANT
- Translates as "darkly striped"- Pronounced "OOD-Mal-bet". Eggplants are documented as having been cultivated and eaten for thousands of years in the Indian subcontinent. They are called brinjal in India. I was so astonished at the unusual beauty of this rare eggplant or aubergine. An unusual, colorful eggplant from India, egg-shaped fruit are light green, streaked in purple stripes! The lovely blossoms are rose pink. It is very young. It is considered extra special and is used exclusively for dishes used in religious ceremonies in temples or for marriages. Very tender so that that even the skin can be eaten. It is great in curries and chutneys or whatever eggplant recipes you have. Very sweet with no bitterness. I promise you will love this amazing , scarce eggplant as you show it off to the neighbors next season. SORRY SOLD OUT FOR THE SEASON!
~BACK FOR 2009- Limited Quantities- Order Early!-RARE~AFRICAN Burkina Faso~RED~Eggplant Aubergine Du Burkina Faso- Solanum Aethiopicum- RARE!- I love this mostly ornamental eggplant. This eggplant comes from the western African nation of Burkina Faso, hence its name. It is probably too bitter in taste for most Westerners, although bitterness is prized in Africa and Asia. But if you want a showstopper ornamental eggplant, this is the one to choose. This year my plants were so huge they were 8 feet tall and just as wide at the top.They looked like trees, with a stem so large I couldn't even cut it down at the end of the season, I had to saw it down! So be sure to give these lots of room to grow huge. Absolutely covered in large ornamental violet blossums followed by the exceedingly showy brilliant large orange fruit. Unfortunately, we had one of the coolest summers on record, so although I had scads of blossoms only a few mature fruit made it. I think if you lived in a milder climate this solanum could be grown as a perennial, honestly. I was heartbroken that I did not get more fruit and debated whether I would list this seed this year, but felt that at least a few people might get the chance to try out this exotic beauty. Fruits bear an uncanny resemblance to small pumpkins with their bright orange color and ribbing.
NOTE: Limit of 1 pack of 5 FRESH ORGANIC SEEDS per customer, quantities over stated limit will NOT be honored! Thank you for understanding!
Adorable "LI'L DARLING" Mini Eggplant SORRY SOLD OUT FOR THE SEASON!- so cute! 45 days -This is the most adorable miniature eggplant. The fruits are the size of walnuts and pack great taste in a very small package. The abundant fruit hang in clusters on very attractive dwarf plants that grow about 1 foot tall. This is a true edible ornamental! Prolific yields, lush green foliage, lovely large lavender flowers and shiny deep purple fruit make this a standout in a container, the vegetable garden, or in the flower border. Great for shish -kebabs on the grill or in hors-d'oerves. Matures in a fast 45 days, so it is perfect for you northern gardeners who don't have long seasons for ripening Eggplant.
SORRY SOLD OUT FOR SEASON
TURKISH ORANGE aka Italian Orange Heirloom Eggplant - RARE - SORRY SOLD OUT FOR THE SEASON! -85 days-This is a showstopper eggplant! Absolutely spectacular brilliant orange shiny eggplants look like tiny pumpkins when ripe. They are sweet with a perfumy fragrance. The best eating quality is when they are still green. Very vigorous 18-22" bush produces 15 or more fruits per bush. A truly ornamental edible. Brought to the United states around Civil War era from Italy and Turkey to use as an ornamental bush in flower beds. This is absolutely the showiest vegetable I can think of to grow plus you can eat it!.
SORRY SOLD OUT FOR SEASON
