What do you do with egg plant? How do you cook it? Is there more than 1 variety? I might grow egg plant if I can decide if we will actually eat it? I have never eaten egg plant and wife has never eaten it either. I have never seen egg plant in the grocery store.
45 years ago my neighbor in Illinois grew egg plant. They sliced it and fried it in a skillet like squash. They said it is easier to grow than squash. My family grew yellow squash until bugs killed it in 2 or 3 weeks.
I moved to TN and didn't know TN soil is different and weather is different I tried a few times to grow egg plant in clay soil it always died in cement soil with no rain. We never watered garden plants in IL we had a very hard 10 min rain every evening about 5 pm. TN garden is desert 1 or 2 rain per month June to Oct and near 100° every day. When I was young I guess I was stupid, now I am less stupid.
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applestar
- Mod
- Posts: 30551
- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
Here’s what I know —
there are 3 types of eggplants
- American/European
- Japanese/Korean, Chinese
- Southeast Asian
But eggplants were originally from Southeast Asia. So they generally need more (deeper watering) and more frequent watering than tomatoes and peppers, and they LOVE hot and humid weather.
In my garden, the longer maturing eggplants take too long and won’t produce well. But there are hybrid varieties bred for production and earlier maturity. I’m still working on getting them to grow well, however. I think they are as difficult for me as melons and peppers. (I suspect container growing with automated irrigation is likely the only answer although I’ve resisted and have tried other methods.)
No matter which type, I prefer the thin skinned ones. Only exception being the kind you peel after cooking, like grilled/roasted. I like Japanese grilled or fried eggplants with miso and ground meat (usually pork or chicken) sauce. I believe this may be originally Korean style and can be made very spicy.
In Japan, eggplants are also pickled — overnight salty pickles as well as long term in cultured rice bran. I like the thin skinned ones for these.
But the way I eat eggplant most frequently is more-or-less Italian style with pasta sauce. Usually just sautéed veg and meat then tomato sauce added and cooked until done. Eggplants should go in towards the end because of you cook them too long, they melt away and disappear. Also ratatouille style casserole.
Before I developed cheese allergy, I used to LOVE eggplant parmigiana — both as sandwich and with pasta. Also a Greek eggplant casserol made with creamy egg custard sauce.
there are 3 types of eggplants
- American/European
- Japanese/Korean, Chinese
- Southeast Asian
But eggplants were originally from Southeast Asia. So they generally need more (deeper watering) and more frequent watering than tomatoes and peppers, and they LOVE hot and humid weather.
In my garden, the longer maturing eggplants take too long and won’t produce well. But there are hybrid varieties bred for production and earlier maturity. I’m still working on getting them to grow well, however. I think they are as difficult for me as melons and peppers. (I suspect container growing with automated irrigation is likely the only answer although I’ve resisted and have tried other methods.)
No matter which type, I prefer the thin skinned ones. Only exception being the kind you peel after cooking, like grilled/roasted. I like Japanese grilled or fried eggplants with miso and ground meat (usually pork or chicken) sauce. I believe this may be originally Korean style and can be made very spicy.
In Japan, eggplants are also pickled — overnight salty pickles as well as long term in cultured rice bran. I like the thin skinned ones for these.
But the way I eat eggplant most frequently is more-or-less Italian style with pasta sauce. Usually just sautéed veg and meat then tomato sauce added and cooked until done. Eggplants should go in towards the end because of you cook them too long, they melt away and disappear. Also ratatouille style casserole.
Before I developed cheese allergy, I used to LOVE eggplant parmigiana — both as sandwich and with pasta. Also a Greek eggplant casserol made with creamy egg custard sauce.
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pepperhead212
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 2888
- Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
- Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b
I have grown eggplants for about as long as I've been gardening, in the early days the large, American/European type, which was what was available in nurseries, when I was growing up. The one Japanese variety that started showing up before I started growing from seeds, was Ichiban, which I grow to this day, and would recommend to anyone. It is the earliest for me every year, with the first fruits coming around 6-15 every year. Some don't start until around August! One drawback - they don't like the heat, but they come back after the heat drops back to the low 90s, sort of like some toms. And many, if not most EP seem to slow or stop flowering, when temps get in the high 90s, but they come back. One larger variety, that someone else in Texas had luck with, through the heat they had, was Black Beauty, and I got something for the coming year - Matrosik - that must be good for heat, since the source of the seeds is in in FL!
I only grow 5 or 6 plants every season, and get far more eggplant than I can use! Since I have been growing in the sub-irrigated planters (SIPs), with just 2 per planter, and even with some that don't do well (had a few this year!), I have far more than I can use! I used to grow maybe 13 or 14 in the ground, for the same amount.
I make countless things with eggplants - Chinese, Mexican, Thai, Indian, and even some Italian or American style dishes. I did a search for "eggplant" in my photos, and here's what I got - you'll get some ideas for the plants, the harvests, and many of the dishes I've made with them. Any questions, let me know:
https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id= ... =Eggplants
I only grow 5 or 6 plants every season, and get far more eggplant than I can use! Since I have been growing in the sub-irrigated planters (SIPs), with just 2 per planter, and even with some that don't do well (had a few this year!), I have far more than I can use! I used to grow maybe 13 or 14 in the ground, for the same amount.
I make countless things with eggplants - Chinese, Mexican, Thai, Indian, and even some Italian or American style dishes. I did a search for "eggplant" in my photos, and here's what I got - you'll get some ideas for the plants, the harvests, and many of the dishes I've made with them. Any questions, let me know:
https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id= ... =Eggplants
You can make Talong Torta (Filipino recipe) Roast the eggplant on a flame until the skin turns black. It makes it easier to peel. leave the cap on. Use a fork to rake and flatten the eggplant pulp. Beat and egg or more if you have more eggplant, add salt, pepper, soy sauce to taste. Dip the eggplant in the omelet mix and fry. This is a basic eggplant omelet. Pinakbet, Sari Sari are other Filipino dishes that use eggplant, eggplant adobo. Dinengdeng (Filipino fish soup with vegetables)
Japanese: pork and eggplant. Thin slices of pork, sauteed with onions and garlic till browned, add broth to cover, simmer until pork is tender about 30-45 minutes. Add bite sized pieces of eggplant, simmer until eggplant is soft but not falling apart 10-15 minutes. Misoyaki eggplant, Eggplant ( or other vegetable) tempura Asians prefer long eggplant to round ones because there is less exposed cut surfaces. Asians usually don't salt eggplant to remove bitterness. Pickled eggplant usually uses very small mini eggplant.
Italian: eggplant parmesan uses globe eggplant, eggplant caponata
Chinese: Spicy garlic eggplant, eggplant with different sauces oyster sauce, chili garlic paste, hoi sin, black beans. Stir fried eggplant and tofu, Eggplant with minced pork.
Keto: eggplant lasagna
Thai eggplant can be added to Thai curry. Thai eggplant stir fry, Thai basil eggplant
Indian: Many different regional curry recipes: Brinjal Curry, South Indian Brinjal curry, Bhaingan Bharta. Aloo Bhaingan, Eggplant Pakora, Bharwa Bhaingan, Beguni, Eggplant Sambar, Dahi Bhaingan, Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan, Khatte Meethe Baingan, Eggplant, sweet potato, and lentil curry.
Sauteed or grilled eggplant, stuffed eggplant,
Japanese: pork and eggplant. Thin slices of pork, sauteed with onions and garlic till browned, add broth to cover, simmer until pork is tender about 30-45 minutes. Add bite sized pieces of eggplant, simmer until eggplant is soft but not falling apart 10-15 minutes. Misoyaki eggplant, Eggplant ( or other vegetable) tempura Asians prefer long eggplant to round ones because there is less exposed cut surfaces. Asians usually don't salt eggplant to remove bitterness. Pickled eggplant usually uses very small mini eggplant.
Italian: eggplant parmesan uses globe eggplant, eggplant caponata
Chinese: Spicy garlic eggplant, eggplant with different sauces oyster sauce, chili garlic paste, hoi sin, black beans. Stir fried eggplant and tofu, Eggplant with minced pork.
Keto: eggplant lasagna
Thai eggplant can be added to Thai curry. Thai eggplant stir fry, Thai basil eggplant
Indian: Many different regional curry recipes: Brinjal Curry, South Indian Brinjal curry, Bhaingan Bharta. Aloo Bhaingan, Eggplant Pakora, Bharwa Bhaingan, Beguni, Eggplant Sambar, Dahi Bhaingan, Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan, Khatte Meethe Baingan, Eggplant, sweet potato, and lentil curry.
Sauteed or grilled eggplant, stuffed eggplant,