24 Delicious Eggplant Recipes You Can Enjoy All Year Long (2024)

FAQs

What to do with a lot of eggplant? ›

Eggplants are in peak season from July through October. One cup of cubed eggplant contains 20 calories, 3 grams of fiber, and 5 percent of your daily doses of both potassium and folate.

Luckily, it's actually really easy to freeze them. You can just slice them raw and throw them in your freezer, but they'll only last about 3 months that way (don't thaw before using if you do this). But it's not difficult to quickly prepare them so that they'll last up to 9 months in your freezer.

One of the most popular was the long, thin, purple eggplant from Taiwan known as Ping Tung. This is an exceptional eggplant with sweet, pleasant tasting flesh. The plants are incredibly prolific and produce throughout the entire season.

Solanine is a natural toxin present in eggplants. Excess intake may cause vomiting, nausea and drowsiness which are all symptoms of solanine poisoning. Every edible that we consume has both benefits and side effects. Therefore, moderation in consuming anything is important.

Eggplants are mature when the flesh is firm, and has a slight bounce to it when you touch it. If, when touched, a dent is left behind, the eggplant is too mature and should not be eaten. Eggplants can remain at room temperature for several days after harvesting.

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.

The round, purple eggplants you're used to are called American eggplants, and are available year-round. If you're looking for a little variety, however, the Japanese eggplant is in season from July through October. Although these two eggplants are from the same family, they differ in appearance and taste.

Eggplants can be grilled, steamed, braised, stir-fried, deep-fried and roasted. For a smoky flavour, turn whole eggplants over an open flame on the barbecue or stovetop until the skin is charred, then scoop out the flesh. Choose eggplants with smooth and shiny skin that is even across the surface.

While the skin of a small young eggplant is edible, the skin becomes bitter on larger or older eggplants and should be peeled. When in doubt, the answer to, "Do you peel eggplant before cooking?" is yes, peel it. Use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to remove the skin.

Can eggplant be eaten raw? ›

Can You Eat Eggplant Raw? Luckily, the answer is yes! While the leaves and flowers can be toxic, the eggplant itself is safe to consume both raw and cooked, and the compound that some might be sensitive to, solanine, is only toxic when consumed in large quantities.

In our summer trials, Millionaire had ripe fruit before many of the other eggplant varieties were even flowering! The healthy, upright plants produce extraordinary harvests of deep purple, slender fruit, 8 inches long. This exquisite Japanese variety is tender and delicious with a minimal seed cavity.

That isn't necessarily the truth, if it is picked correctly. Large eggplants can be more bitter and have more seeds, as the vegetable was given more time to mature. So instead of going for the biggest; choose small to medium-sized and well-formed eggplants.

There is no sex difference among eggplant fruits. The confusion may have come from the fact that eggplant flowers have male and female parts. Mary Keith, a nutrition educator with University of Florida Extension says: “Please, don't waste any sleep over trying to remember which one is which.

Eggplant can be grilled whole until its skin completely blackens. When the skin is removed, the flesh will be soft and creamy but will taste smoky and can be mixed with garlic, herbs, oils, yogurt, and tahini for a dip or spread, or can be puréed with broth and used as the base of a soup.

Pat the eggplant pieces dry with a paper towel and place them on a lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for a couple of hours. Once frozen solid, transfer the eggplant pieces to a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. They'll keep in the freezer for up to a year when stored this way.