Louisiana Green Oval

Unique, pale green eggplant variety that is very distinctive in color and easy to grow. Fruits are medium-large in size, similarly shaped as the more traditional black Italian varieties, and born on compact, sturdy plants from a profusion of light purple flowers. While only 1-2 fruit set per plant under the dry conditions in our garden, this was one of the most durable crops we grew in 2020 due to its apparent deer resistance. Long zipper scars were present on the fruits, and a few also developed deep radial cracks near the calyx, but these blemishes healed well. When cooked, the texture stayed relatively firm and had a pleasant, mild sweetness. At seed maturity, fruit ripened to a deep, lemony yellow color and yielded a large quantity of seeds. Acquired from Heritage Farm, who sourced it from Gleckler’s Seedman in the 1980’s, and reintroduced it in the SSE 2020 catalog because it was once popular on the Exchange.