Growing Pains
So I had this intense desire to grow eggplants on my own, even if I can enjoy fresh eggplants just for few months during the summer. It took all of 3 summers before I actually got eggplants. The first year the plant was eaten by insects, the second year by the time the plants started to flower cold weather set in I got maybe 2 small eggplants. The third year I came upon this marvellous idea to grow eggplants in pots rather than put them in the ground. Voila I hit paydirt I had a sizeable harvest of eggplants and also the insects don't harm it that much when they are in pots. I have heard that in India, it is one plant that gets soaked in pesticides because it gets attacked by a lot of pests. I do not use pesticides, I occasionally spray soap, chilly powder mixture over the plants, seem to work.
This year I have 2 varieties of eggplants one long purple variety and the other the more common short purple round variety. The eggplant plant floweres are 2 kinds, one that goes on to bear fruit the other that dries up and withers. Eggplant is native to India and requires very hot climate to grow.
Eggplant Chickpeas
I cooked Eggplant-Chickpeas from Indira's Mahanandi and ofcourse with the fresh crunchiness of the eggplant and the tender softness of the chickpeas the curry tasted great.
This will be an entry for InjiPennu's Green Blog Project.
Oh boy! eggplants from your own backyard the curry must have tasted great huh?
ReplyDeleteOh! Great! Superb! Thank you soo much! I am going to be dizzy seeing so many plants and recipes! Hope I will be 'strong' enough for the round up! :-)
ReplyDeleteKA defintely nothing like fresh picked vegetables.
ReplyDeleteinjipennu you are very welcome, my pleasure!
they looks so fresh and lively and love that "muram" with egg plants...
ReplyDeleteHi ISN,
ReplyDeleteyummy eggplant recipe with your own grown "VANKAYALU" is called eggplant in telugu.
Good going.
Vineela
Kitchenmate
ReplyDeletewelcome, the cute little muram is my daughter's, borrowed it for a few minutes...
Vineela
thanks.
my first time at ur site and i loved the eggplants,pandal, and the cauveri snaps. very nostalgic.. i too had a tough time with eggplants.. can u tell me in detail how to use the soap powder and red chilli powder?i used a neem extract and that worked too, but this sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteshaheen, I do not plant the eggplants directly in the ground keep them in pots.
ReplyDeleteJust take about 1 tbsp of hand soap, 1 tbsp of chilly powder(gun powder) and pour about 2 cups of water and spray the plants with the lather. For convenience I do the mixing itself in a sprayer.
This will keep the insects off the plants for 3-4 days, I usually do this when the plants are young and starting to grow, once they mature do it if you see too many insects sitting on the plant and causing damage.
Eggplants look gorgeous. Wow !! this is your third entry ? I am still struggling to put together my first one :-(
ReplyDeleteThose plants looks beautiful Indo and the curry looks delicious !
ReplyDeleteOh no I dont like eggplants !
ReplyDeletethanks indu.
ReplyDeletemy eggplants are bathing in ur gun powder recipe. their leaves were showing small dot like holes today.. any clues?
thanks again
Hey your comment on eggplants with muscles like Ben johnson made me laugh out real loud-can't stop laughing actually, fantastic sense of humor and I admire the pains you've taken to grow them on your own :)
ReplyDelete