Ischia Eggplant

Ischia Eggplant is a long, dark purple heirloom eggplant from the volcanic island of Ischia, which you can see across the bay from Naples, Italy. Abundantly growing on 4' tall bushy plants with elephant-like leaves, these are superb fruits that are great for eggplant parmesan. This variety was shared with us by Vinny Motta of Norwalk, Connecticut who got them from a friend whose parents still live in Ischia. Vinny was born in Battipaglia, Italy, which is a town an hour south of Naples that is famed as a production place of buffalo mozzarella. He grew up in the Bronx, earned two degrees in mechanical engineering, and is a dedicated gardener and home cook who is helping Truelove Seeds cofounder Owen Taylor reconnect to his Southern Italian foodways through sharing seeds and recipes. He loves this variety and says he's "never seen eggplants like this." He was inspired to share the seeds with us in order to show us "that it pays to love your grandmother." Vinny had read our descriptions of