Aubergine | Solanum melongena, Solanaceae

Gayle Chong Kwan, Aubergine, collage, 2011

Aubergine
Solanum melongena, Solanaceae

The plant is native to India, it helps to block the formation of free radicals and is also a source of folic acid and potassium.  It is richer in nicotine than any other edible plant. Production of aubergine is highly concentrated, with 85% of output coming from five countries. China is the top producer (56% of world output) and India is second (26%); Egypt, Turkey and Indonesia round out the top producing nations.

Imam Bayildi is the name of a popular Turkish dish that means "the imam fainted". It is made of braised aubergine and meat. According to the legend it was so good that after eating it an Imam passed out.

Achmed Sen, Pyramidengärten

To make a great sataras add a spoon of Vegeta, Yugoslavian dried vegetables, and a spoon of fresh ajvar (a cream of roasted aubergines and peppers with chilli).

Almira-Ada Mesic, Gärten Rosenduft

In this box, onions and garlics have been put side by side. I am not sure that it is a good idea, as they will be "fighting" between them. Usually it is better if you put plants together to have  those that grow differently, for instance, potatoes that grow in the ground can be with aubergines, which grow one metre tall. All these plants have just one cycle of production each year, but in the tropics they can have two or three.

Severin Halder, Allmende-Kontor

If you have a garden, you need to obey the rules of gameplay.

If you have a garden, you need to obey the rules of gameplay. They are comparable with house rules and enacted by the legislator, they comprise the Plant Protection Law, the Neighbour Law, the German Civil Code, noise-protection and protection of the environment. We keep the garden complex in order in a joint effort and everyone takes part in cleaning and maintaining the pathways. We all spend around 10 hours a year helping out.

Peter Ehrenberg, chairman of Landesverband der Gartenfreunde Berlin e. V.

At home we have always eaten very mixed food such as American mixed with French and a lot of Chinese...

When I was child we used sage for throat infections, also for the stomach, I think, or for digestion, thyme in any case and lavender, which there is quite a lot of in the south of France. I know that lavender is used for its calming effect, especially for children.

I cook myself a lot. At home we have always eaten very mixed food such as American mixed with French and a lot of Chinese... When I miss something, for example a good quiche or something like that then I cook it myself and the ingredients for it are easy to find. It's my favourite. You can throw everything in it, and it's always delicious with crème fraiche, eggs and emmenthal cheese. The classic quiche is also with diced bacon, then you make a Pâte brisée, it's like a dough, and then it can be with vegetables or meat. You can eat it cold and warm, but either way it is always delicious.

Pyramidengärten

I grew up in the countryside up to when I was 17 years old. We have always planted carrots, salad and vegetables there, but since I started traveling around I didn't really have the opportunity to grow things. Then I finally decided to leave Barcelona for Berlin because I wanted to improve my German and the city sounded romantic. This is the first garden where I think I will become a member and grow something. One day, I would love to have cherry trees.

Fredji Powell, French, Pyramidengärten