A team of Spanish researchers just took the guesswork out of harvesting eggplant. For best flavor, they say, pick the vegetable 42 days after the fruits begin to form. That's when sugars and other flavor compounds are at their peak, they say.
According to recent research, food scientists at Autonomous University in Madrid, led by Rosa M. Esteban, studied flavor development in three varieties of eggplant. Acidity and chemical content of the vegetables were measured five times during a 54-day growing period.
Sugar content declined during the second week of growth in each variety, then increased up through the end of the sixth week. As sugars increased, so did important flavor compounds such as ascorbic acid and phenols. In the 10 days following day 42, production of each of these decreased dramatically.
Photography by Suzanne DeJohn/National Gardening ASsociation.
Victory Seed Company has all the seeds you want for your best garden in 2024.
For 25 years, the family-owned Victory Seed Company has provided the highest quality vegetable, herb and flower seeds to families across the country. We are passionate about providing you the best seeds available that give excellent germination, robust plants, and the harvest you want. With a catalog of over a thousand varieties, we have everything, and our prices are the kinds that we'd want to pay. We have hundreds of yesterday's heirloom vegetables, as well as today's award winning hybrid selections. Get to know us by visiting our website and browsing through our online vegetable seed catalog.
