The graffiti eggplant is a striped eggplant with purple skin streaked in white, a pattern that gives the variety its street-art name. It is smaller than a standard Italian eggplant, with thin, tender skin, few seeds, and flesh that cooks up sweet, mild, and creamy, with less bitterness compared to larger types. There is no need to peel or salt it, and it cooks through quickly, so it takes well to hot, fast cooking: sear thick slices in olive oil, roast halves cut-side down, grill planks for sandwiches, or cube it into a fast curry or caponata. The stripes soften to purple-grey once cooked, so serve it with the skin on to keep some of the pattern on the plate. It is at its peak in the warm summer months. It pairs especially well with garlic, tomatoes, basil, and tahini.
Berks County, Pennsylvania
Taproot Farm is a family-owned, Certified Organic farm spanning 200 acres in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Co-owners George Brittenburg and Ola Creston started the farm in 2009 as first-generation farmers, working five rented acres with a single employee, a small tractor, and 27 CSA members. In 2014, with the original land going up for sale, they took a leap and bought it, eventually expanding to the 200 acres they steward today.
The farm grows over 150 varieties of vegetables and berries using regenerative organic practices: cover cropping for soil fertility and carbon sequestration, untreated seed, and pest control that favors beneficial insects and plant immunity over broad-spectrum sprays. The same crew of farmers returns year after year, many of them now closer to extended family than coworkers, with a peak-season team of around 20 people working the fields alongside George and Ola.
Taproot's produce reaches customers through the Chestnut Hill Farmers' Market, a long-running CSA, and wholesale partners who value heirloom varieties and culinary-forward growing. Everything is picked at peak freshness and moved quickly, so the flavor and nutrition of the season comes through on the plate.