Hansel Eggplant
Solanum Melongena

days to maturity: 55 days
plant spacing: 2 square feet per plant
sunlight requirement: 8 - 14 hours
look out for: hornworms, white flies, scale
harvest notes: fruits are harvested when they are 4-8 inches long and still shiny
seasons: fall, winter, spring
annual

Hansel is an adorable little purple eggplant that was bred in conjunction with the variety “Gretel” for small farms to make a colorful mix for the farmers market. Compact 24- 36” plants produce high yields of 3-4” baby fruit starting at 50 days from transplanting into the garden. We love to grow smaller varieties of eggplants because its easier to get large amounts of non-damaged fruit when its smaller and thus needs less time on the plant to mature. If you’re not sure what to do with small eggplants, try cutting them in half longways and grilling or baking them whole! You can even scoop out their insides once soft and baked, mix it for a rough babaganoush and then restuff the little shells. This variety is considered “non bitter” so if you aren’t crazy about the bitterness of large Italian eggplants give this guy a try!