“Eggplant production won’t get any better than this”

In the week after Pentecost, Dutch eggplant production dropped to just 50% of the normal supply, but with the sunny weather returning, production is now back to normal. "We are at our peak now,” says grower Ted van Luijk. “We supply the German market, but also sell in the Netherlands. There is much demand for produce between 225 and 300 grams. We try to accommodate the market as well as we can, causing prices to be slightly higher.”

“A few more days until midsummer, and then the light will start waning again,” says Ted. “Not something us humans notice very much, but plants do. You can almost see photosynthesis winding down. But for now, the sunny weather is causing demands to rise, which is nice. We are now promoting the eggplant as a great addition to the barbecue.”

The latter is fast becoming a nationwide trend: even retailers are busy encouraging consumers to put the old aubergine on the grill. “In countries like Spain, France, Italy and Greece people will eat them anyway, but here it’s a little different. In Holland the eggplant is a relatively new product and you have to draw attention to it, find new ways to introduce it." 

"Eggplant is widely eaten by people abroad, and that is where most Dutchmen come into contact with the product. When they return from the holidays, they are still in the Mediterranean atmosphere so to speak. They have tasted the eggplant on vacation and want to try it at home.”