How Do You Pick A Baby Eggplant?

Harvest the fruits when they are still glossy and 6 to 8 in. (15-20 cm) long for traditional-sized eggplant, 2 to 3 in. (5-7 cm) long for mini-size eggplant. Use a knife or pruning shears rather than breaking or twisting the stems.

How do you know when baby eggplant is ripe?

If you squeeze the skin it should spring back firmly when ripe, leaving no marks from your fingers. If there’s no give to the skin then your patio eggplants are not ripe.

Is it right to pull the eggplant from the stem to pick it?

Eggplants are delicious and healthy vegetables that are easy to grow right at home. If you’ve got a crop of eggplant coming in, it’s important to know exactly when to harvest them since eggplants can over ripen easily. Once they’re ready, all you need to do is cut them from the stem.

How big do baby eggplants get?

Deep purple, egg-shaped fruit should be harvested at baby size-2 to 3 inches, and are delicious roasted or in dips and salads. Thornless leaves and calyxes allow for painless harvesting and makes Patio Baby child-friendly, too. Plants will continue to produce fruit throughout the entire season.

Can you eat baby eggplant?

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.

What are tiny eggplants called?

Indian Eggplant
Also called baby eggplants, these adorable nightshades resemble grapes or cherries. They have a dark, reddish-purple color and a round shape. They’re commonly used in Indian dishes like curry.

How can you tell if an eggplant is good?

A good eggplant will have glossy, taut skin. You’ll also want to test the texture of the flesh. When buying an eggplant, the flesh should be firm but give slightly when pressed, then bounce back. If your eggplant is soft to the touch, that’s an indication that it’s beginning to spoil.

How long does it take eggplant to ripen?

65 to 80 days
Harvest eggplant 65 to 80 days after transplanting, depending on the variety. When starting from seed, expect 100 to 120 days to maturity. July, August, and September (even into October) are all harvest months for eggplant, depending on where you live and the variety you planted.

How can you tell a male from a female eggplant?

Male eggplants tend to have fewer seeds, and are therefore less bitter than female eggplants. To sex an eggplant, look at the indentation at bottom. If it’s deep and shaped like a dash, it’s a female. If it’s shallow and round, it’s a male.

How big should eggplant be before you pick it?

Harvest eggplants when they are firm and glossy and big enough to eat—about one-third their maximum size.

What should eggplant look like inside?

What does a ripe eggplant look like on the inside, then? Eggplants should be firm but not hard when ripe. Orange eggplants ripen orange/green inside, therefore the flesh should be white with a faint green hue. Whether you’re not sure if your eggplant is ripe, split it in half crosswise and look at the seeds.

Do eggplants need to be pruned?

ANSWER: Eggplants, like fellow nightshade family member tomatoes benefit from staking and pruning. In fact, eggplant actually produces more fruit when pruned. Pruning eggplant can also improve the fruit quality of the plant, and decrease the plant’s susceptibility to disease.

What does baby eggplant taste like?

Little Green Eggplant
This heirloom variety is plump and round with a pale green-colored skin. It has a mild flavor and cooks up extra creamy. It can be used in any recipe that calls for regular eggplant.

Why are my eggplants so small?

Why are my plants so small and growing slowly? Eggplants are sensitive to the cold. Either a transplant has been planted into cold soil, or a young plant has experienced cold weather, or a transplant that became root bound before being planted may be stunted for a short while or for the full growing season.

How big do little finger eggplants get?

Related Articles. True to its name, the ‘Little Finger’ eggplant (Solanum melongena ‘Little Finger’) produces finger-sized fruit that reach just 4 to 7 inches in length, according to Cornell University Horticulture.

What are baby eggplants?

Indian Eggplant
Purple and spherical, Indian eggplants—also known as baby eggplants—are known for their small, round appearance and tender texture. The velvety interior works well in soups, stews, and dips, but you can also prepare Indian eggplants whole.

Do you need to salt baby eggplant?

Really? In most cases, that’s just not necessary. After an extended series of experiments, I found you only need to salt eggplant if you’re going to be frying it, and even then only sometimes. If you’re cooking it in some other way — roasting, grilling, steaming — salting has no effect.

Can you freeze baby eggplant?

Yes! You can absolutely freeze eggplant. Eggplant that has been frozen and thawed will never be exactly like fresh eggplant, but there are some things you can do to preserve the texture and taste.

What is little finger eggplant?

The Little Finger eggplants are slender, petite eggplants that are excellent for grilling and cooking. This eggplant has a dark purple skin is thin and tender with a silky flesh. This variety produces few seeds and a mildly sweet flavor. Harvest when the eggplant is young and glossy.

How big is a miniature eggplant?

2 to 3 in.
(15-20 cm) long for traditional-sized eggplant, 2 to 3 in. (5-7 cm) long for mini-size eggplant. Use a knife or pruning shears rather than breaking or twisting the stems. Many eggplant varieties have small prickly thorns on the stem, so exercise caution or wear gloves when harvesting.

Should you peel graffiti eggplant?

If you’re following a recipe that calls for peeling the skin or salting the flesh to pull out the bitterness, you can go ahead and skip those steps.