EGG PLANTS.
The botanist defines a berry as a fleshy pericarp with many seeds. This is not what the horti culturist means, for a berry to him means a little, soft, sweet fruit, without reference to its struct ure. Botanically speaking, the egg-plant, is a giant berry. With it ranks the potato ball, and the tomato, as well as currants and gooseberries. And blackberries and raspberries are not berries, but aggregate fruits.
The egg-plant is one of the nightshade group, a member of the same genus with the potato. Native of India, it has spread widely in warm countries, and hardy varieties have made possible its culture in regions where the climate is moder ately cold, and the growing season short. The little plants are well grown under glass, until the soil is warm enough to insure quick and continuous growth in the garden. The fruit furnishes a most acceptable vegetable food to people who live in desert and semi-arid regions.
The purple, smooth egg-plants grow larger than a man's head, oval, as a rule, though some vari eties are elongated to resemble cucumbers. The flesh is white, and waxy, but firm, and darkens on exposure to air. It is usual to slice the fruit after
peeling it, and sprinkle salt between the layers; then place a weight upon them to press out the water. Drained of this accumulation of undesir able liquid, the slices are ready, in an hour, to be dipped in egg, then in cracker crumbs, then fried in butter, peppered lightly, and served hot as may be. Stuffed with a mixture of chopped meat and breadcrumbs, rather highly seasoned, the whole egg-plant is often baked in its skin. The filling seasons the rather insipid flesh, and absorbs its excess moisture.
One plant yields a dozen fruits in the South.
In the North, half that number will be a fair yield before frost cuts short the season. The little fruits are edible, but rather peppery, compared with large ones. The market sizes range about as muskmelons do.
The egg-plant produces its fruit even though failure of the blossoms to be pollenated results in seedless forms. From the cook's standpoint, this improves the vegetable.