MORE Eggplant!
 

The Millionaire eggplant is kicking out another round. There are about 14 of them but they probably won't get as big as usual being as it's late in the season. No tellin' how many we've picked off that one plant this year!


[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/N46e0zQ.jpg[/IMG]


No problem. I see more of that wonderful pickled eggplant in my future. ;)

What does one do with eggplant?

Eggplant is delicious grilled - drizzled with a little olive oil and salt! Yum. My wife and I - and the dog - will eat it right off the grill.

My wife makes a baked eggplant parm that is wonderful. Eggplant in some ways can function as a meat substitute.

Jeff

[QUOTE=Nan_PA_6b;746384]What does one do with eggplant?[/QUOTE]


Eggplant parmesan! One of the worlds best dishes.

[QUOTE=DonDuck;746388]Eggplant parmesan! One of the worlds best dishes.[/QUOTE]

I agree ... sometimes I prefer it over chicken parm, when I am in the mood

Eggplant lasagna is great too, and moussaka. YUM!

Linda

I did a few big store bought plants my first year growing them, plenty of space, and didn't get many. From seed I transplant them on 15"-18" diamond spacing and pack them in. This year they are doing well 3 wide in the raised bed with drip. They always do well in the garden as well, same spacing, double rowed.

We used to fry slices breaded in skillet but at times there is an iodine taste that way. Mostly from too old I think. It could be a turn off. It was always store/farmstand eggplant too, so never nice small ones. You know, bigger is better, right? Not with eggplant. Younger is better. To truly avoid the iodine-y taste, you can grow a mild variety like Dancer. If I make a Johnny's order this year I will have to buy some again, but this year I just grew Epic and it is fine now that we know better ways to cook it. None goes to waste, unless it was a bad fruit.

Eggplant fries are way better than potato fries. In my opinion of course. Salt and rest, dip in egg/6oz milk, roll in peppered flour, oil fry 375 for 5 minutes. Found that on internet, eggplant picayune.

Parm or Lasagna, honestly I don't know the difference between them. That you can cook and freeze a whole trays for later if you have the freezer space.

If we are sick of it or overloaded, it is easily and simply pressure canned. It goes great in a vegetable soup, canning juice and all.

Lots of asian dishes if you are in to that type of cooking.


Nan you should grow some next year. Treat them like peppers regarding the timing and spring weather. If you start your own peppers you can start your own eggplant. I would not start them in the same tray though, because eggplant will likely sprout earlier. Then will get leggy on the heat mat waiting for pepper seeds to sprout. Both my eggplants and peppers got sick in the wet cold spring this year, and I had to pull bad leaves when transplanting, but they still produced well when the heat came on.

I had a bunch of beautiful eggplants I wasn’t going to have time to eat before leaving town for a week, so I sliced them 1/4 “ thick, marinated them in balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, bragg’s aminos, tahini, and spices, and dehydrated them. Eggplant chips!

[QUOTE=Nan_PA_6b;746384]What does one do with eggplant?[/QUOTE]

Baba ganoush,roasted eggplant “ chips” ,curry,stir fry,eggplant parm- I use the skinny taste.com recipe,lacto-fermented pickles.
I’m a little weird but I also like to munch on it raw with a little salt.
In my climate they are so easy to grow,I give them very little care, maybe some neem or DE to help with flea beetles and stink bugs but they usually grow through anything when it’s hot enough if they have rich soil ,fertilizer and water. I find their skin is tough enough the bugs don’t do it any major damage,either.

[QUOTE=habitat_gardener;746395]I had a bunch of beautiful eggplants I wasn’t going to have time to eat before leaving town for a week, so I sliced them 1/4 “ thick, marinated them in balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, bragg’s aminos, tahini, and spices, and dehydrated them. Eggplant chips![/QUOTE]

I must,must,must try this!

I grow - a pink and white striped which is so pretty and productive (listada de Gianna?),a traditional purple (Viscerba) an Asian ( millionaire) and a round,green Thai variety for curry and pickles.( chao praya

I bought a whole gallon jar of the small white egg sized eggplant from a Korean friend that ran a small Korean restaurant and market.
They were packed in brine and very salty.
A very good treat for someone working hard and sweating profusely.
If you want to go down this road there are plenty of ways to pickle, brine, ferment, prepare, and stuff eggplant.
Much of it middle eastern Indian and Asian.

Ah, the many ways to enjoy eggplant. I love the new pickled eggplant recipe I found. It's pretty basic, involves red wine vinegar, garlic, oregano and olive oil and is a refrigerator pickle. Pretty mild and oh so tasty, especially for garlic lovers. It's dynamite on grilled homemade bread. I posted the recipe in the Cookbook forum under Okra and Eggplant :
[URL]http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=25663[/URL]

The jar I have going now is almost empty to it's time to make more. :yes:

I dehydrate plain eggplant and use it in stews, etc. during the winter. It's great in curry!

Linda

Here is a teaser.
Must see video as are all of them.
[url]https://youtu.be/dnulkaIMenA?t=1498[/url]

[QUOTE=GoDawgs;746434]Ah, the many ways to enjoy eggplant. I love the new pickled eggplant recipe I found. It's pretty basic, involves red wine vinegar, garlic, oregano and olive oil and is a refrigerator pickle. Pretty mild and oh so tasty, especially for garlic lovers. It's dynamite on grilled homemade bread. I posted the recipe in the Cookbook forum under Okra and Eggplant :
[URL]http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=25663[/URL]

The jar I have going now is almost empty to it's time to make more. :yes:[/QUOTE]


That recipe sounds good! I suspect, as much as I love garlic, I may up the garlic a bit, LOL. I wonder if some tender whole green onions could also be included with the eggplant??

How big do these fruits usually get?

After much searching I managed to find out the original name of this as sold in Japan. It is ナス 長者 ('senior person' according to google). The seeds are actually more expensive there unfortunately.

The 'Millionaire' are generally 7-8" long and about 2-2.5" wide at the beginning of the season. Once the heat of summer hits, they get progressively smaller. Right now they're about 5" long before they start losing their gloss.

[QUOTE=Labradors2;746443]I dehydrate plain eggplant and use it in stews, etc. during the winter. It's great in curry!

Linda[/QUOTE]


Do you peel it before dehydrating it? Some have pretty tough skins.

Baba Ganoush Has been mentioned once in this thread. I feel it needs a little more exposure as one of the reasons egg plant exists. It is a very easy, very tasty eggplant dip made with baked or grilled eggplant, tahini; and a few spices. I love middle eastern dips like Hummus and Baba Ganoush. I can easily make a meal out of them with a few chips for dipping. I lost fifty lbs. a few years ago eating enough hummus to make me never look a chick pea in the eye again.

[QUOTE=Nan_PA_6b;746384]What does one do with eggplant?[/QUOTE]
Steam eggplant, puree it, and freeze in small containers -- makes a GREAT tomato paste substitute! (Really! I was skeptical when I first heard about this, but, it's true, it's a great way to grow your own tomato paste without all the careful simmering of paste tomatoes for hours and hours...

[QUOTE=Ken B;746723]Steam eggplant, puree it, and freeze in small containers -- makes a GREAT tomato paste substitute! (Really! I was skeptical when I first heard about this, but, it's true, it's a great way to grow your own tomato paste without all the careful simmering of paste tomatoes for hours and hours...[/QUOTE]

Wow! Thanks for that! I will have to do a small trial run. Tomorrow I'm going to fry for lunch what I picked this morning but the others coming on will get "pasted". :yes:

Here's a fairly simple recipe which is one of the top things one can do with eggplant: [url]http://www.ilboccatv.com/ricetta/melanzane-a-funghetto/[/url]

Just watched this latest from Marion’s Kitchen, a Thai/Australian woman’s Asian cooking channel in YouTube. [url]https://youtu.be/3V0S_O-gFlk[/url]. (Sichuan eggplant with spicy pork)

[QUOTE=DonDuck;746615]Do you peel it before dehydrating it? Some have pretty tough skins.[/QUOTE]

No, I don't peel them. I pick them when they are ripe, but not over-ripe and the skins aren't tough. If they are black, they should be a shiny black, not brown to be at their peak.

Linda

[QUOTE=Ken B;746723]Steam eggplant, puree it, and freeze in small containers -- makes a GREAT tomato paste substitute! (Really! I was skeptical when I first heard about this, but, it's true, it's a great way to grow your own tomato paste without all the careful simmering of paste tomatoes for hours and hours...[/QUOTE]

Now you tell me! I let my eggplant get away from me this year and they're all over now :(. Something to try next year :).

Linda