“Black from Peking”, “Monstrous from New York”, “Round from China”, but above all terribly Mediterranean, the eggplant from the African savannahs is essential in the garden! Rich in thiamine, it contributes to a healthy diet.

Beriberi is funny in name only, it is a terrible disease that causes serious neurological and cardiovascular disorders, great fatigue and deterioration of muscle function in patients who repeat “Beriberi”, that is, “I can’t, I can’t” in Sinhalese. . The disease has been known since ancient times, but it was not until 1630 and the work of the Dutch doctor Jakob de Bondt in Java to establish the link between diet and disease, and more specifically with excessive consumption of white rice. In 1873, another Dutch doctor, Van Lent, improved the health of sick sailors by reducing the ration of white rice. At the same time, the Japanese Takaki, in 1883, asked Emperor Meiji to review the diet of sailors. During an initial nine-month expedition, 169 crew members are affected by beriberi and 25 die from it, out of a total of 376 men. By integrating milk, meat, bread and vegetables, and reducing the white rice ration, only 16 sailors from a second crew of 333 men developed the disease. And it was finally in 1897 when Christiaan Eijkman, in Batavia, confirmed these observations in chickens and pigeons fed entirely with polished rice: the origin of the disease was in the absence of the grain envelope. Eijkman’s work earned him the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1929. As for the molecule present in the shell of the rice grain and responsible for the prevention of beriberi, it was identified in 1936 by Robert Williams as thiamine or vitamin B1. meat, bread and vegetables, and by reducing the ration of white rice, only 16 sailors of a second crew of 333 men developed the disease. And it was finally in 1897 when Christiaan Eijkman, in Batavia, confirmed these observations in chickens and pigeons fed entirely with polished rice: the origin of the disease was in the absence of the grain envelope. Eijkman’s work earned him the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1929. As for the molecule present in the shell of the rice grain and responsible for the prevention of beriberi, it was identified in 1936 by Robert Williams as thiamine or vitamin B1. meat, bread and vegetables, and by reducing the ration of white rice, only 16 sailors of a second crew of 333 men developed the disease. And it was finally in 1897 when Christiaan Eijkman, in Batavia, confirmed these observations in chickens and pigeons fed entirely with polished rice: the origin of the disease was in the absence of the grain envelope. Eijkman’s work earned him the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1929. As for the molecule present in the shell of the rice grain and responsible for the prevention of beriberi, it was identified in 1936 by Robert Williams as thiamine or vitamin B1. confirmed these observations in chickens and pigeons fed entirely with polished rice:The origin of the disease was located in the absence of the grain envelope. Eijkman’s work earned him the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1929. As for the molecule present in the shell of the rice grain and responsible for the prevention of beriberi, it was identified in 1936 by Robert Williams as thiamine or vitamin B1. confirmed these observations in chickens and pigeons fed entirely with polished rice: the origin of the disease was located in the absence of the grain envelope. Eijkman’s work earned him the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1929. As for the molecule present in the shell of the rice grain and responsible for the prevention of beriberi, it was identified in 1936 by Robert Williams as thiamine or vitamin B1.

Annual herbaceous plant (perennial in warm countries), 60 to 80 cm. Leaves whole, oval and wide, covered with dense fluff. Stems rounded, erect and branched. Hermaphrodite flowers, simple, white to slightly violet in color. Fleshy fruit, more or less round to elongated, covered with a thick, shiny skin of an intense violet, almost black color.

Vitamin B1 in the garden

For asparagus, you need a large garden, because it requires a lot of space. You have to like the Jerusalem artichoke and it stirs your intestines a little. The best solution for good vitamin B1 in the garden is to grow eggplant (but you see, it is greedy for everything: heat, water, sun and nutrients) and fennel, and complete with peas (which we will return to in a future article). The recommended daily intake of vitamin B1 is 1.1 mg, it is also found in yeast (11 mg/100 g), rice bran (2.75 mg/100 g), spirulina (2.38 mg/100 g) , cereals in general and shelled seeds (flax, sesame, etc.).

Average vitamin B1 content/100 g of some vegetables:

• Eggplant: 0.20mg
• Asparagus: 0.20 mg
• Jerusalem artichoke: 0.20 mg
• Corn: 0.22 mg
• Hinojo: 0,23 mg
• Peas: 0.40 m

Sowing from February to March

To ensure uniform emergence, place the seeds in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator, the temperature there is around 4-5°C, for 4-6 days before sowing. By applying a little, you can deposit a single seed per bucket, which will be covered only with compost to preserve it from light. Store at least 16°C and even better at 20°C indoors. As soon as they germinate, place them in full light to prevent the plants from “turning”, withering.

plant in may

Wait until May to plant in the final location. Leave 50 to 60cm in all directions and plant in a sunny position, in good garden soil. When the plants are 30 cm tall, mound the foot to strengthen them, bringing the soil closer to the neck of the plant. At the same time, tutor.

mulch in June

As the warm months approach, mulch the base to keep the soil moist. When the flowers and the first fruits are visible, prune the tips of the stems to promote the fattening of the eggplants. Keep only 5 fruits per plant, up to 7 in the South. Harvest from July until late autumn. The temptation to let the fruits grow is always great, especially because their number per plant is relatively[1] limited, it is a common mistake. Because as it grows, and although the plant does not lack water, the pulp quickly becomes dry and leathery and its quality quickly drops. Pick the small fruits when their skin is very shiny and their pulp is firm under the pressure of your finger.

The 5 summer speculators

Mold: there are years of mold, which affects all nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, etc.), eggplant is no exception. It results in the appearance of greenish-gray spots on the leaves and whitish to violet spots on the underside. Robust plants are less exposed, water preventively with a horsetail decoction to strengthen them.

Powdery mildew: humid and warm periods are favorable for this fungus that produces small white, spongy spots. Treat with sulfur and renew as many times as necessary, the product is compatible with organic gardening.

Colorado Potato Beetles: Ouch! Collect these beautiful insects to burn them without shame. Check for yellow egg laying on the underside of the leaves. Plant blue flax between the rows to limit the problem.

Whitefly: like all nightshades, these small whiteflies hide (badly) on the underside of the leaves. Apply a plant insecticide, renew if necessary and avoid drought to limit its proliferation.

Aphids: they are perfectly visible on young leafy shoots. Treat with a plant insecticide.

the good eggplants

This is one of the vegetables for which F1 hybrids have made a lot of progress, it also worries the fan. However, you can grow old varieties that have been around for more than 120 years.

• “De Barbentane”: also known as “Violette de Barbentane”, it is the reference eggplant in the South for old and historical varieties as well. Vigorous and productive, it bears elongated fruits of 20 cm, almost cylindrical, of a shiny purple-black color.
• “Long Violet”: also called “Violetta lunga”, it is an eggplant with oval, oblong, club-shaped fruits, with a very soft, purplish-purple skin. A variety that is particularly successful in the South, where it produces in 5 to 6 months, but well adapted to cool climates. Its tender and slightly bitter flesh contains few seeds.
• “Black Beauty”: early variety, with a short cycle – the first harvests are made 80 days after sowing – with pear-shaped and solid fruits, 15 cm; very good productivity, even in cold regions. It is one of the most common on the market.
• “Violette de Florence”: very large, round and ribbed fruits, mauve with white veins, productive variety (8 to 10 fruits per plant). Sweet meat, few seeds, ideal for cooking stuffed eggplants!

gardener’s advice

A seed range contains around 250 seeds, more than you need for your production! It is better to keep few fruits per plant (4 for very large and up to 7-8 for current ones) and plant more plants