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How to Harvest Japanese Eggplants. Prepare to harvest Japanese eggplants around 70 to 80 days after transplanting, or when they’re about the size of a finger (for the Little Finger variety) or a hot dog (for the Ichiban variety), and the skin is glossy and wrinkle-free.
How do you know when a Japanese eggplant is ripe?
To know for sure your eggplant is ready, harvest one and cut it open. The skin should be tender and delicate, the flesh firm, and the seeds should be small, pale and tightly packed. In an overripe eggplant, the seeds will be darker, and the flesh around the mature seeds may be looser.
How do you know when an eggplant is ready to be picked?
Eggplants should be picked as soon as they are ripe, with slightly immature fruits tasting best. One of the easiest ways to determine if they are ripe is to gently squeeze the eggplant. Once you release, the skins should “bounce back”. If indentations remain, the fruit is not quite ripe yet.
What is the difference between eggplant and Japanese eggplant?
Japanese eggplant are slightly smaller than Chinese eggplant and have the same dark purple skin as the American and Italian varieties. Also quick cooking but not as mild as Chinese eggplant, they’re excellent for grilling and broiling, and they stand up to the assertive flavors of garlic, soy, and ginger.
How big do Japanese eggplant plants get?
A healthy and mature Japanese eggplant plant will take up about 3 feet of space in the garden for its canopy to expand and will grow about 4 feet tall. Space the plants a minimum of 24 inches apart so that the leaves and fruit aren’t crowded. The eggplants need to be in well-drained soil that is rich in nutrients.
Will eggplant ripen off the vine?
Eggplants do not ripen off the vine and deteriorate rapidly, becoming spongy. Eat the eggplant as soon as possible after picking it. You can store it overnight at room temperature.
How many eggplants do you get from one plant?
The standard eggplant produces egg-shaped, glossy, purple-black fruit. ‘Black Beauty’ is the traditional eggplant size. One plant produces 4 to 6 large rounded fruit.
Is unripe eggplant poisonous?
False, raw eggplants are not poisonous. However, the leaves and flowers of the plant can be toxic. Plants in the nightshade family — which includes eggplants, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes and tomatillos — contain an alkaloid called solanine, which in very large doses can be poisonous.
Should I peel Japanese eggplant?
Japanese eggplant has a thin skin, so it is no need to peel it and you can grill or bake them. It will be soft and pleasant to eat!Jul 27, 2018.
Why is eggplant not good for you?
Eggplants are part of the nightshade family. Nightshades contain alkaloids, including solanine, which can be toxic. Solanine protects these plants while they are still developing. Eating the leaves or tubers of these plants can lead to symptoms such as burning in the throat, nausea and vomiting, and heart arrhythmias.
Can you eat raw Japanese eggplant?
Like all other eggplant, Japanese eggplant is never eaten raw. Because of its firm texture, which turns creamy during cooking yet holds its shape, Japanese eggplant is especially good for baking, broiling, grilling, and stir-frying. All eggplant is a good source of dietary fiber, B vitamins, and potassium.
How do you fertilize Japanese eggplant?
Fertilizer. ‘Ichiban’ eggplant is a heavy feeder, needing fertilizer on a regular basis. Before planting, mix 2 to 3 pounds of a granular, 15-5-10 formula into the soil for each 100 square feet of planting area. Then feed the plants with more fertilizer monthly, starting one month after planting.
Can you harvest eggplant early?
You cannot harvest eggplants too early. Baby eggplants are a delight to eat. But you can leave them too long. Eggplant should be harvested when they are one-third to two-thirds full mature size.
How can you tell if an eggplant is good?
How To Tell If An Eggplant Is Bad It’s soft and/or squishy. The skin has lost its luster and/or appears shriveled. The fleshy inside is slimy and/or brown color, including the black seeds. There are rotting spots or soft spots on or in it. It stinks or has a rotten smell.
Do eggplants come back every year?
Although eggplant is a perennial, it is more commonly grown as an annual.
Should I pinch off eggplant flowers?
Pruning Eggplant Suckers Even if you don’t want to cut back your eggplant drastically, it’s a good idea to remove suckers. Pinching off these suckers when they’re small will allow the plant to focus more of its energy on fruit production, resulting in larger, more impressive eggplants.
Do eggplants keep producing?
Although eggplants will keep growing and flowering, they are more productive if cut back and allowed to regrow during late summer. Cut plants to about 6 to 8 inches in early August, cut at a crotch, fertilize and allow them to regrow. Fertilize and keep soils moist to force them to regrow.
What can I do with under ripe eggplant?
If you use it in a vegetable stew, chewiness won’t kill the whole dish. Or you could cut it in half, rub olive oil on it and roast it in the oven. If it softens, use it in baba ganoush or in ratatouille. If it doesn’t, feed it to the chickens.
How do you remove solanine from eggplant?
SALTING: Slice the eggplant, then sprinkle salt (coarse salt is best because less is absorbed) onto one side. Leave it for 30 minutes, to allow the solanine (a chemical found in the flesh) to leach out, and brush off with a damp cloth.
Does Japanese eggplant need to be salted?
Salting will help draw out some — but not all — of the bitter juices. Long, thin Japanese eggplants are rarely bitter. Salting also helps collapse the eggplant’s spongy texture, so it won’t soak up as much oil when fried or sauteed. This helps it cook up silky rather than soggy.
Are Japanese eggplant bitter?
Most raw eggplants are very bitter because of the seeds, but when cooked, they become soft, savory, and soak up sauces and oils. That’s why they taste so good in dishes like pasta with sauce, Moussaka, and Ratatouille.
What is Japanese eggplant called?
Japanese eggplants, botanically classified as Solanum melongena, are slender, purple-hued varieties belonging to the Solanaceae, or nightshade family. The name Japanese eggplant is used as a general descriptor for many different varieties of eggplants grown in Japan.
