Be sure to check out our monthly crop feature.

This month’s feature is Eggplant.

The summer temperatures have transformed the vegetable gardens of Wakulla County. The daily 90 degree plus thermometer readings and the typical summer humidity have wilted many spring garden vegetables.

One heat hardy exception is the eggplant (Solanum melongena). This member of the nightshade family, which also includes tomatoes, requires the heat to thrive and produce.

This vegetable is called “eggplant” because the original plant produced small, oval-shaped white fruit which resembled a chicken or duck’s egg. Eggplant is native to India and Pakistan, and it was first cultivated more than 4,000 years ago.

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