Bitterness and seeds
 

When I have used eggplant in the past it has always be the occasional huge, black, pulpy, soft, thick black skinned variety available in supermarkets. Mostly, I have cooked them in the Mediterranean or Middle Eastern manner. Even when I grilled the skin they were bitter.

I have never grown my own, but want to start this year. I read about the new Fairy Tale variety and ordered one pack. Are there others I should consider? Most of the seed racks seem to be dominated by the same big black ones.

Are there any that really have flavor and a firm texture with few seeds without the bitterness.

Homegrown eggplant is as different from store bought as a homegrown tomato is.
The fairy tale series if I am thinking of the same ones are miniature? Very cute but not much to eat. Black beauty, Rosa Bianca, Casper, all good ones to start with, Asian ones are nice too, thin edible skin few seeds not bitter.
KarenO

When you grow your own, you can pick them before the skin has lost its sheen. I never need to peel mine or subject them to a salt water soak, and I've grown some of the bigger ones such as Black Beauty, Diamond, Rosa Bianca as well as the Asian ones which are long and thin.

Linda

[QUOTE=KarenO;683719]Homegrown eggplant is as different from store bought as a homegrown tomato is.
The fairy tale series if I am thinking of the same ones are miniature? Very cute but not much to eat. [
KarenO[/QUOTE]

[B][SIZE="6"]NOOOOO!!!!!!![/SIZE][/B]

ARGHH#%$#$^^&& Just dern!

I thought I had selected the perfect one. It's hard enough getying into and out of the car, using two canes to get to the seed rack and then drop to the floor since I can't stand, BUT NOW THIS! This was my weekly outing.

Now to start all over.

I just want a good eggplant for Italian, Greek and M.E. cooking that is not bitter. Thanks for letting me know NOW, before harvest time!

I eat a total of 3 eggplant dishes a year, but I grow them anyhow :) Thick skinned ones from the store are horrible. But sometimes when you grow them yourself, depending on the weather, etc... you can get thick skinned ones, just like tomatoes.
Grow what you bought this year and gain the experience, you might just love them. You probably will enjoy them anyhow, just because you grew them yourself. If the skin is thick just peel it off when you cook them. Enjoy and grow.

You might want to try one of the white eggplant varieties, such as Casper or Gretel. I grow Casper, and it has virtually no bitterness. It has a very temperamental yield, though; a friend grows Gretel, which seems to bear more reliably year to year.

Another vote for Casper. Delicious!

There are new hybrids that are made for low seeds. The ones I buy at the market (east europe) barely have anything that resembles seeds. Also, they shouldn't really have seeds because you're supposed to pick them when the seeds are still small and soft. The older it gets the bitterer it becomes. When you buy one it should be shiny and elastic like some thick sponge. That's how we use them in eastern europe (which is similar to greek). Probably avoid italian varieties, they absolutely love everything bitter. From what I tested white ones seem less bitter then classic purple.

Tomato Growers has a number of asian types, most are listed as not bitter. Infering that other varietes are bitter IMO. I am testing one this year, so no personal experience yet.

I grew lavender touch one year best eggplant I ever had hands down Hybrid cant find it anymore in the plant section.

Here is the beauty of an eggplant VS tomato.
You dont have to pick them at full size so you dont have to put up with big hard seeds and tough skin.
Think summer squash.
Worth

I researched the Lavender one you mentioned and found many rave reviews, but no source. Next I found one site that listed it and many other vegetable varieties that in bold letters said DO NOY BUY THESE VARIETIES asserting associations with Monsanto and an allegedly affiliated seed company and alleged affiliations with Roundup. That would kill the use of any varieties by the organic folks..good or bad. Now there are other lavender varieties with new names. I don't know the real facts in the case.

Funny that only one eggplant was an AAS winner since the early thirties as alleged by one article.

A GREAT shame that many eggplants and their many, many uses are so largely unknown here. In Europe, the Middle East, and Asia there are countless vegetables and fruits that never make it to our shelves.

I once had worked with a group of pear growers throughout France, after completion of ALL forms and licenses and got clearances for a wide variety of Poiree Pear varieties that were their finest. All of those precious cuttings were destroyed by one man in Beltsville saying they were not allowing more that year. Months of work destroyed needlessly even though they had been licensed and cleared.

My understanding of AAS is that the plant is required to produce well over many climates and many soils types. Perhaps eggplants dont meet this requirement.

Im hoping someone with greater knowledge will comment on this.

Eggplant just isn't popular enough here in the US from what I can tell.
At least where I live.

All too true, but if folks were more aware of its uses, had greater access to its many other varieties, and ate more fresh vegetables, that would have to be good. Tt's a shame we don't have so many of the good varieties of fruits and veggies of so many other countries. Here you can drive to find them at int'l markets, but that's a 60 mile drive through the city traffic.

Most people are food ignorant dont cook and dont want to learn or explore.
That is the plane and simple truth.
I see this by what people have in their grocery carts.
Not ALL people but most.
Not many people here know this now but when we moved from Texas to Missouri the first thing my mom did the next spring was help me start eggplant seeds on my request from looking at seed catalogs.
I was about to go into the third grade the next year and it was my job to take care of the eggplants.
There must have been 20 or more of them.
They were ((my)) eggplants.
But those were my eggplants and by darn I wanted to see and taste them.
We had a ton of eggplants.
I also wanted ducks lots of ducks and I got them too and they were ((my)) ducks.:lol:
And crazy looking chickens with ear feathers that laid blue eggs called Araucanas.:yes:

Worth

mensplace there is an array of online places to get some eggplant seeds. If you want heirlooms like Casper and Rosa Bianca rareseeds.com is a place to get them. Otherwise if you don't mind hybrids there is johnnysseeds.com.

I grow routinely 20ish eggplants of varying varieties. The miniature ones and the Asian ones are good if you want to a smaller amount to add to a stir fry or I like grilling them in spices as a side. The bigger varieties I use for Italian cooking or deep frying them (yum).

Eggplants aren't really an accepted veggie in the US. It is sad. I enjoy them but my grandparents came from Sicily and we had eggplant every Sunday with our Sunday supper.

Just be sure to pick before you lose the sheen on the skin, otherwise the skin gets bitter and tougher and the seeds swell and are much more noticeable.

This past year I noticed the tiny baby sized eggplant at the local grocery. The price per pound was 2x the big typical type. I realize there is a higher cost in picking each little one BUT that pricing was enough to put me off.

I planned to wait for my plants to produce.....joke was on me. Not long enough season and the chickens like to peck at the growing fruits. lol

I look a lot and I have had to work at finding new recipes other than eggplant parm.

Worth, Im right there with you.
I cook. Most of my friends are too busy to coook. I raise easter eggers, marans, muscovy, burbon reds, and more.

I had to learn a lot of new skills!

If you want to try a few varieties, check out the Asian Trio and Italian Trio packs at Renee's Garden - [URL] https://www.reneesgarden.com/collections/vegetables/eggplants/[/URL]

I grow the Violetta Lunga every year, but I've recently added an Asian variety as well. I like them much better than the big, bulbous varieties.

As already stated, when picked young, both bitterness & seediness are reduced. There was a variety I trialed from the Philippines that had long, very slim fruit (only 4-5" long X 1-2" wide when mature); but it had more seeds than I am accustomed to, and those seeds formed early. Picked [B]very[/B] young though - pinky finger sized - they were virtually seedless. The skin at that stage was also tender enough that peeling was unnecessary, and had very little bitterness. We use those tiny eggplants whole in soup.

The plants set fruit in clusters, and are very prolific - but also incredibly thorny!!! Even the leaves have thorns, you pretty much need leather gloves to harvest. I still grow them, though, since they have been exceptionally tolerant of cool weather.

There are other eggplant varieties that set fruit in clusters (such as Little Fingers), which might be worth harvesting very young.

Sorry I didn't see this earlier, but I was very impressed last year by Dancer. I managed to get a few germinated this year, but I had only bought a 25 pack of seed last season. I got my Dancer from Johnny's. It is purple instead of black, skinny instead of regular shape, and really doesn't get old/seedy nearly as bad as regular eggplant does if left on the vine too long. It might be considered a japanese eggplant, I can't say I'm real familiar with the eggplant terms. It is a hybrid, and it's on the list for this winter's order.

Fairy Tale is pretty to look at, but it isn't much on taste, in my opinion.

Ichiban is pretty good. A friend told me about it last year and we liked it. I like them sliced, rubbed with olive oil, seasoned and then grilled.


There is also a Greek dish I like, but I can't spell or pronounce it very well.

It's layered and baked like lasagna. It's made with Eggplant, hamburger meat, white sauce.