They can be picked and used at almost any stage. Young and tender is best. Large and old get pithy and bitter.

Sounds as if you have 2 different varieties but they can be used mixed.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: When to pick eggplant discussion

Thanks Dave, They'll be dinner tomorrow. :) They're doing so well I think I'll plant more plants next year. Or I'll take cutting this fall and hold them over in my greenhouse.

Eggplants like most many other squash will really grow CRAZY once they get plenty of water. Same with cukes. The are sliced, sprinkled with salt to draw out water, rinsed off, dried a little and dipped in flour, egg wash, and season bread crumbs, then pan fried. Served with cheese and sauce, served along with similarly prepared veal cutlets.. yes!

I spray a baking pan and the sliced eggplant with Pam and bake until golden brown at 375F. This saves many hundreds of calories over breading and frying them. Then I proceed to put them in a baking dish with sauce, cheese etc. and continue from there. It's as low cal an eggplant parmesan as you can get. :)

I'm sure I've seen a similar discussion, but my eggplant is starting to flower too. Are there any canning methods/recipes suitable for eggplant?

I like mine best in ratattoule (sp). I can't believe I went through most of my life before tasting that stuff. So easy, and so so good!

Gran: Please share your recipe for ratattoule. :)

Going from memory here -- it was so simple. Chunk the veggies -- eggplant, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, celery, carrots -- whatever you have, into a shallow casserole. Add herbs like winter savory, celery leaves, parsley, oregano or basil (especially) and drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil. Bake 350-400 degrees for a half hour or so. I truly don't think there's a way to ruin this, just adjust to your taste.

Gran, I can't find anything on canning eggplant. I suspect it gets too mushy and thick, similar to summer squash. NCHFP has it listed under freezing and drying.

Here is a link that might be useful: National Center for Home Food Preservation

I just harvested my eggplants a few days ago and already new "eggs" are forming. :) Even the Ichabon has another long egg quickly developing. I wish I had grown more of them so I could freeze some for winter. With almost no peppers, half of one freezer shelf, reserved for peppers, is almost empty. I'll plan better for next year. :)

I've been told by the master canners and by my extension service that eggplant cannot be canned safely. It's apparently a density issue, it is so dense that the heat cannot penetrate evenly and so, processing safety is uncertain.

Pumpkin pulp can't be canned safely either, apparently for the same reason.

Annie

This pickled eggplant recipe is wonderful, especially if you like Indian food. It's from Small-Batch Preserving by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard (I'm learning from you all to be good about citing sources ). Also, I make eggplant parmesan in foil pans and freeze, and I froze some salted and baked eggplant slices. They probably became mushy, but I used them in pasta and it was fine.

Madras Pickled Eggplant

2 lb eggplant (2 large)
3 tbsp white vinegar
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp each: ground ginger and turmeric
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tbsp each: cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds
1 1/4 cups white vinegar
1 cup granulated sugar
2-4 finely chopped and seeded small hot red chile or jalapeno peppers
1/4 cup finely chopped gingerroot
2 tbsp pickling salt

1. Cube unpeeled eggplant into bite-sized pieces and reserve.
2. Combine 3 tbsp vinegar, garlic, chili powder, ginger, and turmeric in a small bowl to form a paste and reserve.
3. Heat oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add cumin and fenugreek seeds and saute for 1 minute. Add eggplant and saute for about 10 minutes or until eggplant is just tender. Add reserved paste and 1 1/4 cups vinegar, sugar, chile peppers, gingerroot, and salt. Stir over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until boiling.
4. Remove hot jars from canner and ladle pickles into jars to within 1/2 inch of rim. Process 15 minutes for half-pint jars and 20 minutes for pint jars.

Makes 3 pint jars or 6 half-pint jars.