Caring for Eggplant Barbarella: What is Eggplant Barbarella?

As with other fruits and vegetables in the garden, there are hundreds of different varieties of eggplants to grow in the garden. If you like to try new varieties of aubergines, you may be interested in growing Aubergine Barbarella. What is Aubergine Barbarella? Read on to find out more about the variety of eggplant Barbarella and see if this vegetable is right for you.

Information about the Barbarella Eggplant

The Barbarella eggplant is a variety of eggplant that can also be sold under the name Violetta di Sicilia. This variety is native to Italy. The Barbarella eggplant produces five to six medium-sized, one-pound fruits on plants about 24 cm (61 cm) high. These fruits have a dark purple skin, with white to light pink shades, which delimit their dark purple, slightly thorny calyx. The fruit is round, like a grapefruit or softball, with deep grooves and has creamy white flesh.

Eggplants 4 to 6 cm (10-15 cm) in diameter produced in

This plant would have an excellent sweet and slightly nutty taste. It can be grilled, fried or sautéed for use in classic eggplant dishes, such as eggplant parmigiana. Barbarella is also ideal for grilling whole aubergines or for hollowed out in stuffed aubergine dishes.

Eggplant is rich in dietary fibre. It is beneficial for heart health and the maintenance of a healthy cholesterol level. Eggplant skin also has natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, eggplants have a short shelf life and it is best to use them fresh or store them for only a few days in a cool, dry place. When stored in the refrigerator, eggplants quickly develop brown, watery lesions.

Growing Barbarella Eggplants

Eggplants are extremely sensitive to cold and frost. Seeds should be sown indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost date in your area. Even seeds will not germinate if it is too cold. It may be necessary to use a heat mat for sowing when growing Barbarella Eggplant from seed.

Do not place eggplant plants outdoors until spring temperatures have stabilized, and make sure to harden the young plants before planting them in the garden. Grow Barbarella eggplants in infertile, well-drained soil in full sun. Plant the eggplants in succession to extend the season.

The Barbarella eggplant matures in about 80-100 days. The fruits are harvested when they are about 4-6 cm (10-15 cm) in diameter.

It is also important to note that eggplants belong to the acorn family and are susceptible to the same diseases as other acorns, such as tomatoes. For all acorns, crop rotation with plants that do not belong to the acorn family is the best defence against disease.