My baby eggplants :)

[Ruth B]

YAY, the only food growing besides herbs are these eggplants. I usually get close ups, but this will have to do right now. I believe these are ichiban (Japanese) but I'm not sure as I also have another variety this year and I may have mixed the labels, as this does not look like what I remember them to be. Sigh. Anyhow, they will taste good.

 

[Cheesy Potatoes]

Cool! I love eggplants. I love their purple color and how shiny they look.

What's that black thing you have the eggplant in and what's it for?

 

[Ruth B]

What black thing, you mean the trellis? It's a tomato cage I'm doubling as a trellis for support. I thought you were going to comment that I put too many too close together. I really did, but it was the biggest pot I had at the time. Behind it is a pot with herbs just starting.

 

[claudine]

I've never tried to grow eggplants. Fruits they produce look like purple zucchinis, don't they? What do they taste like? I think I saw them at a store in my area, I'm wondering if I should buy some
This trellis looks really pretty!

 

[Tommyotommy]

YAY, the only food growing besides herbs are these eggplants. I usually get close ups, but this will have to do right now. I believe these are ichiban (Japanese) but I'm not sure as I also have another variety this year and I may have mixed the labels, as this does not look like what I remember them to be. Sigh. Anyhow, they will taste good. View attachment 2902

The leaves do look like an eggplant. There are many different types. Not my favorite vegetable but I have grown them. A friend gave me one this year she didn't have room for but I managed to squeeze it in (a bad habit I have haha). I heard they were good if picked young, sliced and grilled.

 

[Ruth B]

There are tons of varieties of eggplant. Some are long and thin, like Japanese, some are egg shaped. Heck, some are not even purple. There is a green, called Kermit. I kid you not, lol. It's small, better for pots, it's more like the size of a tomato. I have not eaten all the varieties, but I have been wanting to try and grow the Italian one called Rosa Blanca. It is a purple pink striated kind of oval to round shape and mostly white.

As for taste, they do vary a bit. Eggplant can be bitter. Some say to salt them to draw that out. I have done that in the past, but all I really do now is to run it under water before preparing in whatever way I want. Although I don't do much, as they absorb things like a sponge. They look like a sponge too, and absorb more than mushrooms absorb.

The actual taste is kind of hard to describe. It really depends upon if you get the bitter out, and what spices you put on. The richest kind I have had so far in taste is the rosa blanca, the pinkish white one. It's creamier and more delicate.

Just about all are better than the black beauty in taste, the common one found in the grocery store. I have had black beauty from the farmer's market that did have good taste though. I really like it so many ways. One of my favorite ways is to saute it with artichokes, onions or leeks and mushrooms and serve with spaghetti. I like to throw on some capers too if I have them along with fresh tomatoes. You know that Carrino's, one of the restaurants has something similar called Angel Hair and artichokes dish, but I did it first, lol.

Be careful about the quantity of oil you use, as it does soak up liquids.

I've played with growing eggplant for a few years, but to me, I haven't even begun to explore the wonderful world of eggplant. I have Kermit, Rosa Blanca and Calliope eggplant seeds, and what did I do? I bought some other kinds of plants at the nursery simply because I was there for other things. Because last year, she (the nursery) was throwing them out! So this year, I 'saved' some lives again too. lol.

 

[Tommyotommy]

There are tons of varieties of eggplant. Some are long and thin, like Japanese, some are egg shaped. Heck, some are not even purple. There is a green, called Kermit. I kid you not, lol. It's small, better for pots, it's more like the size of a tomato. I have not eaten all the varieties, but I have been wanting to try and grow the Italian one called Rosa Blanca. It is a purple pink striated kind of oval to round shape and mostly white.

As for taste, they do vary a bit. Eggplant can be bitter. Some say to salt them to draw that out. I have done that in the past, but all I really do now is to run it under water before preparing in whatever way I want. Although I don't do much, as they absorb things like a sponge. They look like a sponge too, and absorb more than mushrooms absorb.

The actual taste is kind of hard to describe. It really depends upon if you get the bitter out, and what spices you put on. The richest kind I have had so far in taste is the rosa blanca, the pinkish white one. It's creamier and more delicate. View attachment 2903

Just about all are better than the black beauty in taste, the common one found in the grocery store. I have had black beauty from the farmer's market that did have good taste though. I really like it so many ways. One of my favorite ways is to saute it with artichokes, onions or leeks and mushrooms and serve with spaghetti. I like to throw on some capers too if I have them along with fresh tomatoes. You know that Carrino's, one of the restaurants has something similar called Angel Hair and artichokes dish, but I did it first, lol.

Be careful about the quantity of oil you use, as it does soak up liquids.

I've played with growing eggplant for a few years, but to me, I haven't even begun to explore the wonderful world of eggplant. I have Kermit, Rosa Blanca and Calliope eggplant seeds, and what did I do? I bought some other kinds of plants at the nursery simply because I was there for other things. Because last year, she (the nursery) was throwing them out! So this year, I 'saved' some lives again too. lol.

Haha I do like saving lives too! It just about kills me when I have to thin out radish or carrot seedlings. I think I need help sometimes hehe.
Thanks for all the eggplant info Ruth. I've only had the black ones so I might look for some of the Rosa ones you say are so good. And thanks for posting the picture!

 

[firelily99]

Eventually you will know what kind that you have because they will start producing fruit. Until then just enjoy watching them grow!

 

[Ruth B]

When I watered this morning, I could see more of the fruit coming out. I just love seeing that first fruit poke out. It had started to poke out of the pod in the picture, now it's showing the purple color.

 

[Cheesy Potatoes]

What black thing, you mean the trellis? It's a tomato cage I'm doubling as a trellis for support. I thought you were going to comment that I put too many too close together. I really did, but it was the biggest pot I had at the time. Behind it is a pot with herbs just starting.

Yeah. I have never seen one of those. From where I'm from, we just use bamboo sticks. They don't look that close to me. My grandma does that sometimes, so I'm kind of used to seeing those.

I can't wait to see more pictures of your eggplants. I am intrigued by the different kinds you mentioned.

 

[claudine]

Haha, I'd love to grow a Kermit eggplant, it sounds so adorable! I used to be a big fan of Sesame Street
Anyway, reading this thread encouraged me to buy an eggplant fruit, I'm very curious if I will find it tasty. Can I eat it raw?

 

[Shellyann36]

I have always loved the eggplant! The colors are so vivid and they just make me very happy watching them grow as well as eating them. How is the other variety that you are trying doing?

 

[Ruth B]

They are growing, it seems slower but the buds are coming in and filling out just enough to show that they are buds. I posted a close up picture of my cute eggplant pod and eggplant poking out of the first one, but now I see the picture here is gone. I guess I went over my picture limit here or something. Trying again.

 

[Josh Jones]

Nice my Japanese White eggplant just started flowering

 

[Tommyotommy]

Nice my Japanese White eggplant just started flowering

Just curious... do they have white flowers too? I was looking for some of those Rosa eggplants we talked about here but no luck. I only have one regular purple eggplant that someone didn't have room for, but it's still pretty small with no flowers yet.... probably because of our cooler spring, which has also slowed down my cucumbers.