Eggplant

hopeless151 6/8/2012, 10:46 am

I have never grown eggplant before and do not know when to pick it... The tag on the plant didn't say how big it would get. It is called Black Beauty. Any help?

jkahn2eb 6/8/2012, 10:51 am

You'll know when it looks ready. I harvest mine normally when they are around 7" or more long. You can't really go wrong and they are bountiful.

hopeless151 6/8/2012, 10:56 am

I had a lot of blooms but they kept falling off so I only have two growing will more come after I get pick these?

memart1 6/8/2012, 11:02 am

I've never grown it before either! Does it freeze well? If it produces a lot I will have more than I need and my daughter won't touch anything but potatoes and corn. (Is she really my daughter? (LOL). I love trying new foods of all kinds. At large family dinners I always fix rutabaga even though her husband and I are the only ones who eat it. I do have a friend who loves eggplant, so she will get some I'm sure. I have four eggplants growing.

hopeless151 6/8/2012, 11:07 am

LOL! I think I hate eggplant, my mom used to make it occasionally and I remember it being slimey. I only grew it for my friend but I will give it a try, maybe I will like it as an adult. Same with okra, it is for my boyfriend. I only like it pickled.

jkahn2eb 6/8/2012, 11:24 am

I finger pollinate my flowers (my bees seem preoccupied with other flowers). You should start getting eggplant then.

My wife and I aren't huge eggplant fans but have found a few tasty ways to enjoy it.

Here are the health benefits of eggplant: http://whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=22

hopeless151 6/8/2012, 11:29 am

How do you finger pollinate? Never have done that.

quiltbea 6/8/2012, 11:46 am

Eggplant is ready to harvest when the skin has a high gloss. Gently press thumb into fruit. If shiny black skin dulls and stays a bit dented, its ready to harvest. You can harvest when they are half their mature size.

Eggplants like nights in the 60s and above. I'm still waiting for that to happen here in zone 5a but I'm going to transplant 4 of mine into my A-frame so I can close it up on cooler nights.

Something I read last year: Pinch with your fingernail above the 5th leaf when the plant has 6 or 7 leaves. This spurs the lateral bud to bear flowers and fruit. I've not tried it yet, but will this year.

**Turan** 6/8/2012, 12:30 pm

I have 6 eggplants started, mostly the oriental kind because they do better in our climate and we love the skins. Hopefully we will have an harvest. If we even get to have excess I will make up lots of Capanata mole and freeze it. It also drys well. Capanata is tasty as a spread on its own and as a flavoring agent in soups and broths and especially lentils. A friend dried large amounts one year for a 6 week canoe trip across the NW Territories. She came back raving about how good and special that tasted.
If I get really a lot to put up I will do like I do for tomatoes~ cut in half or quarters, lightly salt and oil and chop garlic over and then bake till soft or half dried and then freeze. (or finish drying at a lower temperature)

Dreaming........ probably delusional considering my zone. o well cyclops

hopeless151 6/8/2012, 12:51 pm

So you dehydrated the eggplant? I was wondering how to save it. I figured freezing it? Like you do squash... LOL! I don't know what I am doing...My grandpa had an awesome garden and I am the only one out of 9 grandkids that grows my own food. But he didn't grow eggplant that I remember.

**Turan** 6/8/2012, 1:18 pm

hopeless151 wrote:So you dehydrated the eggplant? I was wondering how to save it. I figured freezing it? Like you do squash... LOL! I don't know what I am doing...My grandpa had an awesome garden and I am the only one out of 9 grandkids that grows my own food. But he didn't grow eggplant that I remember.

You can preserve it like you do tomatoes. Like tomatoes it will taste better if cooked before freezing or drying. Obviously canning cooks it. It is low acid for canning, I have not experience doing that.

If the texture of eggplant is off putting mash it up into sauces/spreads like baba ghanoush, cabanata, mole.

**rowena___.** 6/8/2012, 1:32 pm

eggplants come in different shapes and sizes and colors. the best way to know when to harvest is to look at the fruit--if should be shiny and have a solid skin.

the first harvest is always for the table. the second harvest gets frozen. the third harvest gets dehydrated. the fourth gets canned.

this way i can spread out the work and spread out the storage options. it also puts canning toward the end of the summer when it isn't so hot here.

**Turan** 6/8/2012, 1:44 pm

rowena___. wrote:
the first harvest is always for the table. the second harvest gets frozen. the third harvest gets dehydrated. the fourth gets canned.

That is an excellent tip for organizing processing. :lightbulb goes on:

Laydera 6/8/2012, 5:07 pm

Great idea on that, Rowena... i was just on your site and i love the way you process harvest all year long and love the timing of it. Wish i was half as wise as you.

**rowena___.** 6/8/2012, 5:48 pm

oh, i'm sure you ARE wise! it's just that we each have our own different areas of wiseness. my skills are in organization--which is not revealed in any meaningful way by looking at my house--but nonetheless, i'm pretty good at making things simpler.

hopeless151 7/8/2012, 6:15 pm

So I did as the Ball Blue Book said and blanched my eggplant for 4 minutes and it turned this awful greenish, greyish, brown color. Is this normal or are they bad???

My daughter said she would not eat them? That we could feed them to the zombies so they don't eat our brains!!!

Sorry no pics...still cannot post pics for some reason...I am doing what I was told to do but get this pop up where the host thing is that wont go away!!!

hopeless151 7/8/2012, 6:16 pm

Oh my gosh!!! I finally got a pic on here! This is the zombie food...
Any help on this one?
Eggplant 7-8-1211

**llama momma** 7/8/2012, 6:24 pm

I harvested a white ghostbuster eggplant today and as soon as I cut into it it began to turn. After I stir fried it, whoa, even more, so it's normal I guess and it was delicious.

hopeless151 7/8/2012, 6:34 pm

I think mine were called Black Beauty or something like that.
Thank you for your input!

hopeless151 7/8/2012, 6:37 pm

I actually grew it for my friend but she has yet to come get any of it so it has been going to waste. So I thought I would try it out but seeing what it looks like now, I am not sure I even want to!!!

**llama momma** 7/8/2012, 6:45 pm

Your welcome. If you can get past the looks, it is worth it, expecially great in ratatoille (spelling?) a tomato based recipe, and eggplant parmesan is pretty wonderful too.

**Turan** 7/8/2012, 6:59 pm

You blanch it and then what are you supposed to do?

I have never blanched eggplant..... nor salted and pressed.....
I best like to broil the slices a bit before adding to what ever.
A touch of a acidic flavor is good with them. Lemon pepper is great on broiled eggplant alone.

hopeless151 7/8/2012, 7:03 pm

I have no idea they just said to blanch it before freezing. I figured I would find some recipe for it later. I jus got tired of watching them go bad so thought I'd preserve them to use later but then saw how unappealing they look!!!

**camprn** 7/8/2012, 7:10 pm

They always turn brown like that, even if you use lemon water to reduce the oxidation. you could try this:
Slice the eggplant, salt one cut side and place it on a paper towel, salt the upper side, place another paper towel on top. Build as many layers of salted eggplant as you need. This process will draw out extra water.

Now, you could try to make fried cutlets and freeze those.

When ever I dry eggplant, it does look like little brown bits. This is a vegetabel that is far superior when fresh.

hopeless151 7/8/2012, 7:13 pm

How is an easy way to cook just a bit to try for just myself? I am feeling just a little brave! :-)

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