Eggplant - under-ripe, ripe, overripe - how do you know?

10 years ago

last modified: 10 years ago

I am completely confused... It is known that you should harvest eggplants when the skin is glossy. With my Black Beauty eggplants, the glossiest skin is on the baby-eggplants that are under 3-4" long. The bigger ones, 5-7" long, become duller. Both small and big still have green blossom ends and some green streaks at the "tail" top. And I think, the bigger ones have more defined streaks. How do I figure out when it is under-ripe, ripe, and overripe?

Bellow is the picture of my eggplants (an egg is for sizing). They have never been of that beautiful deep purple color.... Neither of them look ripe/overripe, but the bigger ones did loose the shine. When finger-pressed, the skin pops back up on both large and small. Did i pick them too early? too late? Please help!

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Comments (4)

Labradors
10 years ago
I'm no expert, but I wait for them to turn black. They are still glossy, and they taste delicious and not bitter. I never peel them.

I had the worst time with Japanese Long because they are purple and white and I could never tell when they were ready.

Linda
farmerdill
10 years ago
Eggplants are used as immature fruit, so like cucumbers or summer squash you can use them at any time they are large enough for your use. A ripe eggplant is good only for saving seed. Quality rapidly deteriorates as they lose thier gloss. You either don't have have pure Black Beauties or maybe a disease problem. My bet is impure seed. Black Beauty is black from the gitgo. The shape is also off.
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digdirt2
10 years ago
I agree that the plants in your photo are not Black Beauty. Don't know what variety they are but I wouldn't hesitate to use all of them at this stage.

Dave
Shirley Smith
6 years ago
I looked here for the same reason. My eggplant are black beauty and look the same as yours in post. I think the heat has something to do with it. I’m using them anyway young or older NOT ever fully black or ripe.