Erica De Mane

I just spent a confusing afternoon trying to sort out all the varieties of eggplant now available at the Union Square Greenmarket. August is when they come fast and furious. The problem identifying the things is that half the time the people selling them aren’t completely sure what they are. But I did my best, so here goes:

These little squat eggplants are called Patio Babies, because they’re somewhat easy to grow in a container. They’re really cute. I never saw them before, so I bought a few to play around with. I’m thinking of maybe stuffing and roasting them.

These long guys are Japanese eggplants. Chinese varieties look similar, but I didn’t see any today. I’ve also previously seen a long Japanese variety with beautiful solid light green skin. I love these eggplants in a sauté. They’re sweet and gentle.

One white one stuck in here. To me it tastes just like the dark purple Italian ones next to it. It’s just white.

Here are some Graffitti eggplants surrounding the dark purple ones. I buy them because they’re so beautiful. Great for ciambotta.

Here you’ve got your Fairytales. So tiny. I think the best way to treat them is to split them and then grill them with olive oil and herbs.

The farm people said these were called simply Striped, but I’m thinking possibly they’re another type of Graffitti eggplant? Gorgeous color.

These were labeled only as Italian Eggplants. My at-home Google search leads me to believe their actual name is Rotonda Bianca di Rosa. Of course I bought a few.

When I did a Google search for these pretty Globe variety eggplants, the name Barbarella came up, so I’m going with that. I’m staring at one now that’s sitting on my counter. Eggplants are exquisite.

These look like the regular supermarket eggplants you can buy all year long, but they’re an Italian variety that’s a bit more squat, fatter, and more tender. I’ll be making pasta alla Norma with a few of them tomorrow night.

These lovely things are called Rosa Bianca (not to be mistaken for the Bianca di Rosa of the Rotonda school. See why I was confused?). They’re creamy, almost custardy, when cooked, with no bitterness at all. I bought a few of them too. I think I overdid it with eggplants. I’ll have to give some to my sister.