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This Ethiopian eggplant variety produces small, round, flavorful fruit that taste moderately sweet and look absolutely stunning whether on the plate or in the garden. Highly branched, vertically growing plants bear fruit in clusters of up to six. ‘Sweet Red’ eggplant can be eaten both raw and cooked, but is best enjoyed while still mostly green before ripening to an orangish red. Seed Savers Exchange obtained this variety from member Suzanne Ashworth, author of Seed to Seed, who received it from Cue Vang, a sixth-grade Hmong student, in the late 1960s. Cue boiled the eggplant for about six minutes, mashed them in a mortar and pestle, and ate them as a dip 90-100 days.
Instructions - Start eggplant indoors 6-9 weeks before the average last frost. Soak seeds first to encourage germination and then sow ¼" deep. Using bottom heat for a week to 10 days will help with sprouting. Transplant in warm soil in a location that gets 8-10 hours of direct sun each day. If growing eggplant in raised beds or containers, keep the plants well watered.