We have decided to develop a definitive list of vegetables that we want to grow every year. You know…the ones that are ‘the bread and butter’ of our meals. I love aubergines…eggplants… I love to watch them grow from seedling to plant and I love the look of them. Oh, and I also like to eat them! There isn’t enough time and energy to grow every single aubergine that I like so for the last two years or so, I have been growing different types and then deciding if they should be on my ‘must have’ list. This post is a dedicated gallery to all my lovely aubergines that I have grown so far. I will show you a picture and tell you a wee bit about them.

This stripey orange eggplant is originally from Africa (not sure where in Africa). It grows to about 5 feet tall and produces copious bunches of fruit. It is a prolific producer and can grow in the worst soil ever (dry, clay and unfertilised soils). It is very drought tolerant and can with-stand Belizean dry season. It is a tough plant that does not need much care. The fruits start off being white with stripes and gradually ripen to the orange colour. The taste is mediocre…mildly bitter and the skin is mildly tough. They have the texture of what we know as eggplant but not much of a taste. They are best boiled in soups and stews to absorb the flavour from other ingredients. Conclusion: I like that it produces tonnes of fruit but I decided against re-planting because they are not tasty enough.

The next one is a Thai eggplant that look like little eggs. They get to about an inch in size. I had two rows of these plants; they ranged from a purple/white to completely white in colour.

These aubergines are very pretty and also make a nice ornamental. They needed heavy fertilising and nearly died over dry season in Belize. I thought that this plant would be heavy with fruit but I was sadly disappointed. Despite good soil, heavy watering and constant trimming, they still produced few fruit. And the taste…rather disappointing also…they are so cute and I was hoping for a sweet juicy ball to pop in my mouth. They tasted of nothing with lots of seeds!! This one is pretty but is not on the list to re-plant.

I managed to get heirloom seeds of an aubergine from Iran. These are great! They are hardy and drought resistant. In fact, they can even take the Toledo rains. They grow all year round and are very good producers. The fruit can get to a really big size (depending on rainfall) and I have had ones about half a foot in width. They are sweet and tasty. The only downside is that when they get too big, they can have the texture of hard foam. Otherwise, they are a winner and will be planted again this year.

I have saved my favourite for the last one. This is another Thai variety of aubergine.

This is a beauty!! It can get very big and can weigh about half a pound. They grow into massive bushes so need a lot of space. It seems to have survived wet season and I am now watching it as we enter dry season. Oh, the taste is delectable; they are sweet and the texture is firm. They are even lovely steamed with a little bit of salt and pepper. This beautiful aubergine is my favourite so far and is a definite keeper!

I am growing more aubergines so I haven’t quite finished my aubergine rant yet! Until next time…