PROSPEROSA EGGPLANT is an Italian heirloom from Tuscany that is round and deep mauve with a white collar! Abundant producer of one-person-sized fruits. Delicious, rich flavor. Perfect for stuffing with peel on, or (as I prefer) peel this one and you are left with creamy, melt-in-your mouth yumminess! Sautee with a little olive oil, touch of butter, chopped fresh tomatoes, garlic and minced onion, salt & pepper, then bake with grated mozzarella and breadcrumbs at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour. I'm getting hungry thinking about it! 85 days. 20 seeds.
ABOUT EGGPLANT: Fresh grown eggplant is an altogether heavenly experience - nothing like the overgrown and tired versions you see in the grocery which taste like old athletic socks. As a member of the nightshade family, eggplant was centuries overcoming the fear that it was as poisonous as its cousins. That is why it acquired the nickname "mad apple." And it is true that a very immature eggplant contains toxins that can make you sick and you should never eat the foliage. With origins many believe trace to ancient China, the eggplant traveled to Europe courtesy of the Moor invasion of the 6th Century. But it was not until the 17th Century French Enlightenment that eggplant came into popularity, served pretty much as we eat it today. President Andrew Johnson claimed it as a favorite.
NUTRITIONAL: I used to think of eggplant as nothing more than a cheese delivery vehicle, but guess what? It is a wonderful source of important nutrition AND a dieter's best friend! Low in saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol but high in dietary fiber, eggplant is packed with folate, potassium, manganese, Vitamins C and K, Thiamin, Niacin, B-6, Panthothenic Acid, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper. It is so good for dieters in fact, that folks trying to GAIN weight are advised not to eat too many eggplants!
MEDICINAL: All members of the nightshade family - which includes tomatoes, potatoes, and all peppers except black pepper - contain some level of a toxin called solanine, an alkaloid that can caue diarrhea, heart failure, headache and vomiting in sensitive people. But if you are not sensitive there are wonderful benefits to be had in this gourmand delight. Eating eggplant can reduce swelling, reduce bleeding, comfort hemorrhoids and treat dysentery. High in bioflavonoids, it belongs in your cancer fighting arsenal. Here are two more interesting medicinal uses -- raw eggplant applied topically for scorpion bites. And a compress made of infused eggplant for frostbite!
GROWING TIPS: Eggsplants love warm weather - don't stress out your seedlings by planting too early you will only set back fruiting. Plant flowers nearby to encourage pollination and if fruit set is heavy, give some support to keep the fruits from the ground - a small stake will do. Eggplants are heavy feeders that require regular watering and respond very well to organic compost and fish emulsions. Keep the fruit picked so production continues. Use pruning shears and watch out for the spiny stems on some varities.
CHERRYGAL HEIRLOOM GARDEN SEEDS & PLANTS offer hundreds of heirloom and vintage open-pollinated varieties! Most have histories dating back centuries and are tried and true producers. Some are rare, or threatened with extinction. When you grow a plant from heirloom seed and save that seed, you are participating in a practice that goes back for generations. Our grandparents and their grandparents grew these varieties. Often the seeds were prized possessions carried to the New World when they emigrated.
Ever notice how most seed catalogs require you to buy (and pay for) much more seed than you could ever possibly use in a season? If you have a budget for garden seeds, this limits your choices! Although seeds can be viable for longer than one growing season, it requires that they be stored at a consistent temperature and humidity. Few of us do this. CherryGal sizes its seed packets for the home gardener, because we know you may want to grow 5 different lettuces, or three different corns, and don’t want to have to take out a second mortgage to do so! CHERRYGAL SEEDS ARE A TREMENDOUS BARGAIN!
All seeds offered are FRESH stock, with high germination rates. Varieties are specially selected for home gardeners. If you want the flavor you remember from grandma's kitchen garden or the beauty of her cottage flowers, choose CHERRYGAL HEIRLOOM SEEDS.
ABOUT OPEN-POLLINATED SEEDS . . . All CherryGal Heirloom Seeds are heirlooms (dating at least 100 years) or vintage (mid-20th Century or older) OPEN-POLLINATED varieties. This means saved seed will be true to the parent. Don't be dazzled by the never-ending array of hybrid seeds promoted by gardening suppliers. First, seeds from that produce will not grow true to the parent -- you have to keep buying hybrid seed. Second, most hybrids are developed for market – not home -- growers with an emphasis on extended shelf life, storage and shipping qualities -- NOT flavor, texture and all those other elements that home growers seek.
All CHERRYGAL HEIRLOOM SEEDS come from reputable growers (most of them small farms) and wherever possible ORGANIC suppliers (so noted). By buying CHERRYGAL SEEDS you are supporting the growing worldwide movement of SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE and with a little practice you will be able to save even more money in the future by growing open-pollinated varieties and saving seed for next year. All my seeds are DOUBLE GERMINATION TESTED: First by my growers and then by me. Please Note: CherryGal Heirloom Seeds are guaranteed to be fresh stock, but are not guaranteed as to results (sorry - we wish we could, but there are too many variables in gardening) so please do not ask to return. However, we think you will be pleased and would like to hear about your gardening success!
SHIPPING: I endeavor to ship my seeds as quickly as possible - usually within 24 - 48 hours. If there is a need for more time, you will be advised at time of purchase and shipped as soon as possible. In the event an item becomes unavailable or temporarily out of stock I will offer you a chance to substitute another selection or refund you immediately. I package my seeds for shipping in a manner appropriate to the amount and type of seed - larger orders and larger seeds require more packaging. I also combine multiple orders of the same seed variety, where practical, in one envelope unless you request otherwise. This is an ecological measure, not a cost-saving one. Whether you choose first class mail or priority shipping, your seeds will ship using a delivery confirmation number which will be supplied to you.
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