Kamo and Casper Eggplant
 

Got fruit set on both of these. First time I have grown Kamo, grow Casper every year.

Kamo:

A highly prized traditional "kyo yasai" or Kyoto vegetable, from the Kamo area of Japan. It has been a delicacy in the region of Japan for many hundreds of years. A Kamo eggplant is unique. It is fat and round with a flat bottom. It has lustrous purple-black skin and purple calyx. The fruit is about 4" in diameter, and weighs up to 1/2 pound. This is the choice eggplant served at top restaurants in Japan. Its tight pulp has a rich flavor. Particularly delicious when coated and baked or fried with miso and tofu.

Michael,
What is a good source for seeds?
Tom

Tom:

My Casper came from Seed Saver's Exchange online catalogue. My Kamo came from Gourmet Seed:

[url]http://www.gourmetseed.com/c=MLM9NXzhEn4qAlcdDWGMAwFZN/product/EP12/EP12---Eggplant-Kamo.html[/url]

Michael,
Thanks

Tom: No problem, looking forward to trying this one.

I tried Kamo nasu last year in Kyoto. We had it thickly sliced, grilled and served with a sweet miso sauce. I could not find any seeds for it so thanks for the link.
I hope you will give us a taste report in a couple of weeks.

Jeff
edit: I just checked out their shipping prices to Canada- $14.95 plus 20% of the order total. I think I will find another source WAY TOO EXPENSIVE!!!

Jeff: just sent you a pm. also, do you have a recipe for the miso sauce?

Dengaku Miso
Over medium to medium low heat simmer the following ingredients:
1 3/4 cups of red or white miso (My preference is white miso)
1/3 cup sake
1/3 cup mirin
3 tablespoons of sugar

You basically want to dissipate most of the water content until it becomes a paste.
Slice the Kamo nasu into 1/2" slices. Coat heavily with vegetable oil. Broil until almost completely cooked. Brush the dengaku miso paste onto the sliced kamo nasu and return to the oven. Once the dengaku miso paste starts to bubble and boil then it is ready to eat.
You can use Dengaku Miso paste when grilling any other vegetables.
Jeff

Jeff: Thanks for the recipe!

I found my seeds at Kitazawa Seeds based in Oakland, CA. Easy to find on the net. They also sell their seeds at select nurseries (email them, they are quick to respond) and at some Asian supermarkets.
They do not say so on their website, but if you ask, they can send via envelope instead of bubble-wrap/box whatever it is that entails the $4 or $5 postage, if you are only ordering a few packets. I was told it would only cost $2 that way (but I am in the same state). I didn't have to have any shipping costs as I found them in my local Asian market, after talking to the purchaser there who was going to order more seeds, to order them for me.
I have never saved eggplant seeds, only tomatoes, but if this is not a hybrid, and you give me pointers on how to save seeds, I could try to save so I could share next year. That is, if I get enough fruits. Right now I only see two small ones, and the flea beetles are killing me!

My wife used Jeff's recipe last night with some Kamo that I picked. Had some Jericho Romaine lettuce from my hydro system also, along with chard from my garden. Was out of white miso, so used my 3 year old barley miso. It was fantastic!

Thanks to Jeff for the recipe!

When I was thrown in Japan, I was lucky to taste this kamo eggplant. the chef cut it slices and coated it in tempura batter then deep fried. yummy. so sweet.

is it true that casper eggplant tastes like mushroom?

To me, Casper tastes like eggplant. Actually, my wife doesnt like it and has told me 2 years to stop growing it. I probably will stop growing it, and substitute an Ichiban-or just keep growing ping tung long.

Tempura would be real good with Kamo.

I purchased Casper and Thai Green eggplant from SSE in 2007. I wasn't
crazy about Casper, but the Thai Green is nice and very productive.

I want to try casper as well next time. I only got "white egg" for my white variety... :)

Got a couple new Kamo plants that are bearing fruit now. Photo of one today, 9/6/2010. Going to eat this one tomorrow with Applegreen and my first Diamond!

Looking good michael.
The first four or so fruit on my Early Large round eggplant (Wa sei oo maru) were basically green with just a small area with a blush of light purple. I figure it must be the cool temperatures that have caused this. Strange thing is that my other regular Japanese varieties have all been dark purple. I have noticed a couple of the developing fruits are purple.
Jeff
Looking forward to Kamo nasu next year. I will have to provide it with a choice location in the large greenhouse

Nice kamo.. looks delicious even if it is still on the plant.. :D

My wife and I think Kamo has been our best tasting eggplant ever-that is based on our growing conditions. It has been pretty darn productive also.

Veggie dinner last night-kamo, casper and diamond eggplant, Numex Heritage 6-4 Chile, Lipstick sweet pepper, Chard, spacemaster cuke.

Nice harvest mdvc. just curious, what does Chard tastes like? Is it similar to Spinach?

Taste of chard-hard for me to describe. We saute it with olive oil and garlic. Let me think on it-or better yet, ask my wife tonight!

I am really down about my package not getting there for you and Franz yet. I hope its just delayed, and not stolen.

I'm still praying that your package will still arrive to Franz.. Its too good to be lost or stolen... We still hope it will arrive next week...

[QUOTE]I'm still praying that your package will still arrive to Franz.. Its too good to be lost or stolen... We still hope it will arrive next week...[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE]Taste of chard-hard for me to describe. We saute it with olive oil and garlic. Let me think on it-or better yet, ask my wife tonight!

I am really down about my package not getting there for you and Franz yet. I hope its just delayed, and not stolen.[/QUOTE]

so long as the first or the second package sent will arrive then at least we'd know not all of the packages from mdvpc actually come in and not gets lost or confiscated or pilfered.

I grew Kamo last year from seed from Kitazawu (spelling ?). It did well in a poor year...I also grew some hybrid green striped eggplants from Thailand that were super productive...I have my seeds still packed from the move, but Masego may have been the name...Kitazawu has an amazing selection of eggplant seeds...

Jeanne

Jeanne:

Wondered why you have been absent from the forum. Is the move completed? I hate moving.

Michael....

Yes , we completed the move in April. The spring was wet and cold (as the summer has been), and I was not able to put in a garden....I never realized that not having fresh food to cook and can would stifle my cooking like it has...I have only gone to a few farmers markets, and owing to our lousy summer there has been little to envy...

We are only 40 miles from where we were before, and there are still some grasshoppers here, but they don't eat the landscaping, so I have big plans for next year !

Jeanne

Jeanne

Glad its over for you. I have had a grasshopper problem the past few years and used that grasshopper bait called Nolo, or something like that. The hoppers eat it when they are small, die, then in turn they are eaten by other hoppers who get infected, and on and on. It has really worked great for me with 2 applications-one in about April and another in about June or July. The good news is that this is the gift that keeps giving (less hoppers, that is)!

Photo of kamo on the left and black night on the right (thanks Erwin for the black night). Had them together-both outstanding!

How big did your Diamond eggplant get? Mine were fairly small and had lots of seeds. My plants were also very small (more fruit than plant).