Anyone here grow eggplant? A friend is out of town and I need to harvest for him to give to Meals on Wheels in the interim. I don’t eat it or grow it…any tips on the perfect time to harvest it?
Maybe you could go to a farmers’ market and ask a vendor?
I don’t grow anything, but am pretty experienced in selecting supermarket produce. I assume you are talking the typical ovoid/pear-shaped purple (a.k.a. globe) eggplant. If there is still pistachio green skin just beneath the leaves on the stem end, they are unripe. Ideally, the skin should be shiny and taut, and the same dark purple all over - brownish patches indicate bruising or over-ripening. Halve one lengthwise - pale, small seeds are good. Brown seeds = older fruit, more likely to be bitter. Flesh should be warm white, not greenish.
Thanks for the tip about the green under the leaves. I’ll check on them tonight.
There’s nothing at all wrong with green under the leaves, that’s one of my signs (along with the shiny tight skin) that it’s perfect for picking.
Ask Coll
