Solanum Melongena - Aubergines

We never thougth growing things could be so exciting. Of course in the UK we had the odd basil pot which seems to persevere no matter how much it was neglected, but here we are talking lemons and oranges, lettuces, peppers and chillies and beans and mints – and it’s only been a month or so.

It may very well wear off – perhaps after a couple of months we will simply be complaining that things aren’t growing quickly enough or that they need too much care, but right now it’s the honeymoon period.

We will be introducing each of the members in turns but the aubergines stole everyone else’s thunder this morning by coming up with this wonderful flowers which will soon turn into nice round violet aubergines.

  

I wish we could be sharing some wise knowledge of how to take care of aubergines. The truth is that we simply bought some stalks, which the lady at the Consorzio Agrario in Modica claimed where aubergines (they just look like green pieces of stick to me). They had tiny-tiny leaves on them and we stuck them in a pot.

Two days later the leaves doubled in size and now, three weeks on, they are a good 50cm high and are actually wonderful plants on their own right. All it took was water and sun… it almost doesn’t seem fair.

However, putting my concerned citizen hat on for a minute, it is also true that the real difficulties arise when people try to intensively cultivate just one kind of plant in earth that has been exhausted because of intensive cultivation and that then needs pesticides because the natural habitat in which one thing eats the other is simply elimintated.

On our part we are looking forward to enjoy the aubergines – hopefully some time in October.