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Post by mrsk on Aug 1, 2015 18:38:57 GMT -5
So I have 3 egglants that made it, and really have several egg plants fruits on them. The fruit is long and deep purple. How do you know when it is ready to pick? My first year.
Any special ideas for it with ordinary ingredients - remember I am in the wilds of SD, where pepper is a major seasoning.
Mrs K
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Post by restless on Aug 1, 2015 19:24:43 GMT -5
Pick eggplant when you notice the increase in the size of the fruit has slowed. The skin should be very shiny and firm. Store on the counter and eat within 3 days of harvest. If you let it get too big, or the skin get dull, it will be very seedy.
Simple recipe: brush both sides with oil of choice, sprinkle with salt and pepper and grill until soft. Lay it out in a single layer on a big platter.
Top with a huge amount of chopped fresh herbs, toasted seeds or nuts, and crumbled feta cheese.
Or
Blitz ripe grilled yellow, orange, or red bell peppers in the food pro with a garlic clove, olive oil, and some vinegar. Drizzle on eggplant. You can use jarred roasted peppers for this as well. This sauce is good on everything.
Or
Grate a cuke unto yogurt. Add chopped herbs. Stir. Spoon on eggplant.
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Post by Mumsey on Aug 2, 2015 3:46:35 GMT -5
Restless is right, if it loses it's shine, it's past time. You can pick them at any size, they are "ripe". They grow "ripe", if that makes sense.
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Post by brownrexx on Aug 2, 2015 6:54:06 GMT -5
I am in the wilds of SD, where pepper is a major seasoning. Ha, ha. I live in PA Dutch country and they really "spice it up" when they add onions! I have not grilled eggplant but I have grilled squash and it is really good. My recommendation is to cut it in half and then cut off some of the skin side to expose the white flesh. Thay way yu will have the nice grill marks on both sides. Sometimes eggplant skin can be bitter anyway. Brush both sides with oil of choice and lay on the grill. Have you tried lemon pepper? We really like that for a basic spice with a slightly different taste. It's a go-to spice for me when I sauté squash in olive oil. |
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Post by tbird on Aug 2, 2015 9:53:30 GMT -5
They grow "ripe", if that makes sense. they are like cucumbers - we don't want them ripe! |
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Post by pepperhead212 on Aug 2, 2015 10:48:00 GMT -5
Like restless noted, the rate of growth is a good way to tell when to pick eggplants, and I always watch my new varieties to see when they are no longer growing very much, and pick one, to see how they pan out. If they seem a bit seedy when I cut into them, I pick them a little smaller next time. I also taste a piece of them raw, to test for bitterness. While I haven't found any bitter EPs for years (the Asian varieties seem less prone to this than the large varieties), long ago this was a major problem with EP, which is why so many old recipes call for salting EP, which also got rid of some of the water.
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Post by OregonRed on Aug 2, 2015 10:54:45 GMT -5
don't we have recipes in some other thread? - er uh.....  lemmy think.... someone was eggbatter, breading and baking? put marinara sauce on top eggplant is a lot like zucchini, the taste is on the dull side and can be enhanced with anything! IMHO I grow the Asian long ones, and pluck them before they get soft or large, well, kinda like zucchini! |
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Post by restless on Aug 2, 2015 14:24:43 GMT -5
I leave the peel on my eggplant and cut it across the length into circles to grill it.
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Post by Mumsey on Aug 2, 2015 15:49:43 GMT -5
I remember my mom soaking eggplant in salt water AND removing the skin. I do neither and haven't found any bitterness in any. My fave is Listadia, flesh is whiter and milder.
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Post by restless on Aug 2, 2015 17:41:36 GMT -5
I have never eaten a bitter eggplant. And I eat a lot of eggplant between late June and October. I harvested 11 of them today. I never bother with the salting and soaking business.
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lemmy think.... someone was eggbatter, breading and baking? put marinara sauce on top