| 8 Eggplant or Aubergine cultivars Blackbell is an F1 hybrid with glossy deep purple to black
rounded to oval shaped fruits of 9 x 15cm in size on high yielding sturdy bushes to 0.7
metres in height. Seed from South Pacific Seeds from commercial growers, but it is
available in punnet seedling ranges.
Black Fingers™ is an F1 cultivar with the
bunching or Lebanese style of fruit picked when 8-12cm long and still sweet. The longer
they are left they get leathery, but in common with the Lebanese varieties they are not
bitter and do not need salting before cooking. Seed from Sandoz Seeds.
Black Gnome syn. Blackgnome, is a bunching or
Lebanese style long thin Eggplant that is not bitter and so doesn't need salting before
cooking. The open bushes of the Lebanese style Eggplants set more fruit than the Southern
European cultivars, such as the old variety Supreme. Seed in the Yates range.
Blackmail™, (EP 039) is an F1 cultivar with
tear drop shaped fruits that produce shiny dark purple to black fruits. Sets large
clusters of mild flavoured fruits, not bitter like the old style Supreme open pollinated
varieties. Seed from Sandoz Seeds.
Blacknite is a large rounded to tear shaped fruit of
the style popular in Southern Europe. Seed from Mr Fothergill's.
Bonica is an F1 hybrid with very large purple
rounded to tear shaped fruits ideal for stuffing and popular with Southern Europeans.
Easter Egg has a tiny hen's egg shaped white fruit,
which is popular in India and South East Asia for making pickles. It will set up to 40
small fruits and matures in 60-80 days. Seed from South Pacific Seeds and available as
seedlings in punnets. has a tiny hen's egg shaped white fruit,
which is popular in India and South East Asia for making pickles. I
Epic is an F1 hybrid that produces uniform almost
black teardrop shaped fruits 10 x 22cm in size on strong robust bushes to 0.9 metres in
height. Seed from South Pacific Seeds for commercial growers.
Lady Finger is a Lebanese style with small long thin
fruits and to pick thirty fruits would not be uncommon. Seed from Sandoz Seeds.
Long Purple is an open pollinated variety with thin
purple rather than black slightly crescent fruits, to 30cm long. Needs salting before
cooking.
Supreme is an open pollinated variety with dark
purple to black small round to tear shaped fruits on a bush to 1.5 metres, that will set
3-8 fruits. It has been very poplar in the past, but the smaller and more productive
modern cultivars, have left it popular only with the seed savers.
White Eggplant 3406, is a spectacular white fruiting
variety that Yates have been trailing, that yields quite heavily. |
