When I listen the word eggplant ( Solanum melongena),I like a shot think of my all - metre favorite Mediterranean bag , the smoky , garlicky baba ghanoush .
The next affair I call back of is eggplant ’s noted semblance , that deep , gorgeous , intense shade of … white ?
lily-white brinjal ? rent ’s explore , shall we ?
Photo by Felicia Lim.
Have you ever wonder how our cryptical , saturnine purple aubergine got its rather vivid and on the face of it nonmeaningful name ?
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rude , this large purple veg does n’t look anything like an testis . When prepare , it does n’t savor or look egg - like either .
Photo by Felicia Lim.
So how did the word “ testis ” become attached to an aubergine , etymologically address ?
Here ’s how : In England in the 1700s a new vegetable made an appearance on the culinary scene . This vegetable was snowy , small , and shaped just like an bollock .
It did n’t take much imagination to decide what to call this new vegetable : eggplant . The name endured , and encompasses the purplish form , too .
There are still many cultivars of the white eggplant around today . Some are older heirloom varieties , while others are more recently cultivated hybrid .
And the fruit of these varieties come in all sorts of shapes and sizes – small and round , long and thin , or go and ellipse .
I ’m going to take you on a spell of nine cultivars that sweep all soma and sizes , providing for a wide array of culinary uses . See our full template if you are newfangled togrowing eggplant in your garden .
Here ’s what I ’ll cover :
9 of the Best White Eggplant Varieties for Your Garden
White vs. Purple
compare to purple varieties , many of the clean cultivar have thinner skin , which is why they are n’t normally learn in supermarkets .
Thin tegument mean they injure more well during transport , leave in less - than - unadulterated - wait produce at the store .
When you ’re growing your own produce in your backyard , however , you do n’t have to concern about transport your crop near as far , so thinner cutis might not be an issue for you at all .
And by the way , sparse pelt also get with an advantage :
According to Dr. Leonard Perry , Extension Professor at the University of Vermont , along with their seminal fluid , much of the bitterness consort with eating these vegetable come from compounds contained in the skin .
Less peel equate less bitterness , so if the bitter flavor of purple Solanum melongena has gotten in the way of your discernment for this vegetable before , maybe it ’s metre to give it a second chance .
Some of these albino - look varieties have much a fresh taste than the empurpled single , opening up possibility for new and unexpected smell experience .
Sounds like grounds enough to give them a endeavour to me !
Ready for your tour through the mankind of unpigmented eggplant ? countenance ’s go ! Here are nine of my favourite white eggplant varieties to grow in your garden .
1. Casper
‘ Casper ’ is a French heirloom cultivar that is quite unparalleled among eggplants .
Unlike most passion - loving varieties of this vegetable , ‘ Casper ’ really thrives in the cool Day of the growing season , slowing down its production in the hottest part of the summer .
However , it is still frost sensible , so do n’t go institute it with your cool time of year crop .
The pearl - colored yield ripen early , attain maturity in approximately 70 days .
This is good news for those of us with short summers who do n’t always have enough meter to play those varieties that take longer to mature all the way to harvest .
On the other hand , gardeners in areas with farseeing , spicy summertime would do well to piece a dissimilar variety .
‘ Casper ’ works will reach two to three feet tall at maturity , with elongate yield that are almost entirely free from compound that cause a bitter flavor .
These have a balmy , almost mushroom - like flavor , along with meaty form and a silky grain . They are best pluck whey they turn over six inch in duration .
‘ Casper ’ is an open - pollinated cultivar , so saved semen will grow true if the plants are isolated from other form .
‘ Casper ’
seed for ‘ Casper ’ are useable in package of various sizesfrom Eden Brothers .
2. Clara
quell in Europe , but moving from France to Italy , ‘ Clara ’ is an Italian hybrid that make a prolific harvest in 65 to 70 twenty-four hours .
The early maturing , bright and creamy fruits of ‘ Clara ’ are cylindrical in shape , get to six to seven inches long and four to five inches wide of the mark .
With sparse skin that bruises easily , you ’ll desire to use the yield promptly once they are ripe .
‘ Clara ’ brinjal have a meek discernment with around the bend undertone , and a meaty , creamy grain .
3. Ghostbuster
As you may have noticed with ‘ Caspar , ’ references to ghosts abound among pale veg varieties . ‘ Ghostbuster ’ is another such example .
This crossbreed offers a mid - time of year harvest , maturing in 72 to 80 days .
‘ Ghostbuster ’ plant can become quite prominent .
With their semi - diffuse growth habit , it ’s not unusual for plants to grow to five feet tall with a four - foot spread at maturity .
The fruit of ‘ Ghostbuster ’ are ellipse shaped , measuring up to six to seven inches longsighted and four inches all-encompassing .
They keep a sweet flavor until overly ripe , at which point they turn yellow and acquire a sulphurous gustatory perception – so ensure you pick them before they turn sensationalistic .
4. Gretel
With a name alluding to a beloved childhood faery tale , ‘ Gretel ’ fitly produces clusters of modest , pure ivory - colour eggplant .
Reaching maturity date in just 50 to 60 days , it is one of the earliest maturing white varieties we could find . This hybrid was a winner of the All America Selections Vegetable category in 2009 .
The industrial plant can grow to three to four feet tall with a two- to three - foot bed covering at maturity , anddoes well in containers .
‘ Gretel ’ has elongated fruit that are typically picked small , at three to four in long . If leave to suppurate , these will develop purple stripes .
This variety bears fruits that are perfumed and never bitter , with few seed , and skin that remains tender even when harvested late .
‘ Gretel ’
‘ Gretel ’ source in packets of 100 areavailable from True Leaf Market .
5. Japanese White Egg
‘ Japanese White Egg ’ aka ‘ White Egg ’ is a heavy - yielding heirloom that will produce testis - shaped fruit , harken back to the origins of this veggie ’s name .
ripen early , this container - favorable plant life will make maturity date in around 65 days .
The fruits of this variety are shape like great egg , about two to three inches long , and at their prime they are rich and creamy relishing .
However , they will formulate a bitter mouthful when they turn white-livered , so check that you glean them before they set forth to change colour .
‘ White Egg ’
rightful Leaf Market carries‘White Egg ’ seeds in a form of packet sizes .
6. Paloma
‘ Paloma ’ is another loan-blend that is perfect for short - time of year growers . plant are vigorous and extremely productive , reaching maturity in just 65 days .
What ’s different about ‘ Paloma ’ are the buzzer - regulate , thinly ribbed aubergine it birth .
These thin - skinned fruits , reaching a squatty four and a one-half inches long by three and a half inch wide , have a mildly sweet and creamy sense of taste .
7. Snowy
‘ Snowy ’ is a short - time of year cultivar that produces large , cylindrical fruits on sturdy , just plants pass two to three groundwork grandiloquent at maturity .
Highly productive , ‘ Snowy ’ will mature in around 60 twenty-four hours , and is well suited for containers .
Unlike ‘ Clara , ’ our other cylindrical selection , ‘ Snowy ’ is open - cross-pollinate so you’re able to save semen for future plantings .
‘ Snowy ’ bears coke - color eggplant that reach a hearty eight to 10 in tenacious and have a delicate , sweet , and mild flavor with no bitter undercurrent .
Fruits hold up well during cooking , thanks to their medium - to - thick skins and firm grain .
‘ Snowy ’
seed for ‘ Snowy ’ are available in a change of package sizesfrom True Leaf Market .
8. Thai White Ribbed
You ’d be forgive if you mistook this eggplant foran heirloom tomato .
The fact that these two nightshademembers of the Solanaceae familyare related is loose to see when you look at fruits from this cultivar .
‘ Thai White Ribbed ’ bring about its fruit on two- to three - fundament - grandiloquent plant life and takes up to 90 twenty-four hours to mature , so it is more suited to country with a long growing time of year .
This diverseness bears eggplant with a drop daily round shape with inscrutable ribbing – seem uncannily like albino heirloom slice tomatoes .
The three- to four - column inch fruits have a mild flavor , and a smooth and creamy texture .
9. White Comet
Shaped like shooting stars , ‘ White Comet ’ is a Japanese type that has very few seeds , and is totally without any bitter savor .
These intercrossed plant reach two to three feet tall and fledged in 70 daytime .
This variety produces elongated , ivory yield that pass an astronomical 10 inches foresighted and two inches all-encompassing .
‘ White Comet ’ give birth fruits that are fragile - skinned , cherubic , and meaty .
‘ White Comet ’
you could observe seeds in a variety of packet sizesavailable from reliable Leaf Market .
Cultivar Comparison Table
A Plant By Any Other Name
Now that you ’ve had the tour of these nine white cultivars , are you ready to put the nut back in your eggplant ?
in person , I ’m quick to put every one of these kind into my next slew of baba ghanoush .
And by the way , there ’s a glorious formula for a baba ghanoush - hummus mashup overat our sis site Foodal .
condition it out if all this talk of eggplant has your back talk lachrymation as much as it does mine .
If you ’re interested in growingother tasty nightshadesin your garden , poke in to these article next :
And be sure to take a look at our21 of the good Nipponese Eggplant Varietiesguide to find some of the most recommended Asian cultivar .
Photo by Felicia Lim © Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL right RESERVED.See our TOSfor more detail . earlier published on February 9th , 2020 . Last updated March 25th , 2023 . Product photograph via Eden Brothers and True Leaf Market . Uncredited pic : Shutterstock .
About
Kristina Hicks - Hamblin
