went to harvest eggplants and all the larger ones felt squishy. could it be caused from dry conditions? I had been gone on vacation and I assumed more rain had been here. little ones (under 3 inches) seem to be OK. and now things are wet again.
squishy asian eggplants??
Well, I guess it depends on the definition of "squishy" to some extent. When I've grown Asian style (long) eggplants in the past (the last few years for example) you don't want them to get rock hard because that means, often, they have gone over the hill. There should be some "give" when you squeeze them. On the other hand, "squishy" sounds like way too much gooey stuff in there and maybe something is wrong. (I'm not sure what might be wrong, I haven't experienced anything like that with them).
Have you cut open and tested the big ones? (And how big are they?) You might want to sacrifice one for the sake of finding out if it looks okay inside.
most of the squishy were 6-10 inches long. the size I usually harvest them. They were soft from top to bottom all around, maybe a quarter inch into the fruit. definitely not normal.
Hmmm...I don't know. So sorry. How disappointing when you are so close to harvest. I hope somebody else on the forum can jump in for some answers. I've had pretty good luck with our Asian eggplants over the years aside from the fact that the Japanese Beetles love them and shred their leaves as fast as possible about the time the fruits begin to ripen. I hope your next batch coming along doesn't fall victim to this "squishy" problem.
The problem is how squishy is squishy! I grow Asian eggplants and they seem to go from soft ( which is good) to hard, on the outside. Both work in the dishes I cook, but I wouldn't describe any of the ones I have harvested as squishy! And this is even wierder when you consider that your weather was dry, not wet.
I think the only thing you can do is cut the squishy ones open and see what they look like inside. Maybe also cut open a normal one. Maybe they are both okay. I recently had one that was stiff on the outside but when I opened it, it was soft on the inside. It was clearly over mature because I could see the seeds. Nevertheless, I scooped out the meat and mixed it with the meat of some of the soft ones and it made an excellent batch of eggplant pancakes.
Squishy doesn't sound so bad to me unless you open them up and see that they have rotted inside. I have never seen that, but it is worth a check. If they aren't rotten, I say cook them up. I recently cooked up a batch of young soft ones, and one large harder skinned one. I only used the insides. The resulting dish was excellent.
A look inside should tell the story. My eggplant variety was Ichiban. It isn't my favorite but my local nursery suddenly quit growing ping tung, my absolute favorite.
pajaritomt: I'm growing Asian eggplants for the first time this year. Normally grow Black Beauty's. How do you cook them? What are your recipes? I have a ton of these guys and don't know what to do with them.
Here is an eggplant recipe that I got from a friend. It is for eggplant pancakes and is quite good.
Eggplant Pancakes
Serving Size :2 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Eggplant
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 to 1 1/2 lb eggplant
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 small onion
1 large garlic clove
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 large egg, beaten to blend
Preheat over to 400 degrees. Pierce eggplant all over with fork. Place 2
TBS oil on cookie sheet. Add eggplant and turn to coat. Bake until very
tender turning once, ~55 minutes. Cut in half lengthwise and let cool.
Using a spoon, scrape the flesh from the eggplant into a sieve. Drain for
1 hour pressing occasionally on eggplant with a sponn. Transfer to a
bowl. Mesh with a fork.
Heat 1 TBS olive oil in heavy small skillet over low heat. Add onion and
glarlic until tender, ~6 minutes.
Add this to eggplant. Mix in flour. Mix in egg. Season with salt and
pepper. (I usually add in fresh herbs)
(This can be prepared 4 hours ahead, covered and chilled)
Heat 1 TBS of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add
eggplant using 2 TBS per pancake spacing evenly. Cook until golden ~5
minutes/side. Transfer to plates. Repeat until batter is gone.
************************************************
This recipe was originally served with rack of lamb and it is quite tasty
with that.
And this one is from the Washington Post. I doubt that they would mind my sharing it. It is a dip eaten with pita bread and is yummy.
Baba Ghanouj
Recipe By :
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Appetizers Dips
Eggplant Middle Eastern
Lemon
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
***** NONE *****
Adapted from "Lebanese Cuisine" by Madelain Farah
Ingredients:
1 large eggplant (Western, "globe" variety or Italian works here)
Olive oil to taste
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
3-4 tablespoons tahini paste
1/4cup water
1/4-1/2 cup lemon juice, to taste
optional garnish: chopped parsley, pomegranate seeds
Method:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice eggplant in half, lengthwise, and place on a baking sheet. Roast until flesh is extremely tender and thoroughly cooked, about 1 hour. Brush olive oil on top of eggplant halves if flesh appears to drying out. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Drain off any resulting liquid.
With a teaspoon, scoop out flesh and place into the bowl of a food processor. Add garlic and salt, and puree gradually, using pulse setting. Add tahini and pulse. Finally add water and lemon juice, and pulse-puree. Taste for salt and tartness, and adjust accordingly.
By Kim ODonnel | September 20, 2006;
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Believe me the pomgranate seeds are optional, but pretty.
And here is another that is quite easy:
http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/features/steamer.html#eggplant
As you can see there are lots of great eggplant recipes out there!