WE'RE used to the occasional freaky home-grown vegetable story but not often do eggplants get a mention - until now.
Experienced Wangaratta home gardener Mario Caligiuri was extremely proud of this giant aubergine, one of two growing in his Wangaratta backyard which had surpassed all previous efforts.
After allowing The Chronicle to capture the fruit on the plant for posterity, Mario picked it ready to turn into one of his favourite meals, and generously picked the slightly smaller brother for the photographer as a thankyou.
The larger eggplant measured 200mm long with a girth of 355mm and weighed just under 1kg (900gms).
"I like to cook (fry) it, peel and slice like chips, and I do the same with some potatoes and add a bit of onion," Mario said.
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"Make sure you fry them separately, then you can mix them up.
"Add some roughly cut up tomatoes (home-grown of course) and there you have it."
It has been a stop-start for most backyard farmers, including Mario, with the topsy turvy weather conditions.
"But I also had a good season with my basil," he said.
