first pictures of my eggplants

things are look good for eggplant parm. LOL
should have pictures of my cloud nines in a little bit.

I can't believe you are in my same zone! I have TONS of flowers, but they seem to be drying up without fruit developing. I may be having a bit of a pollination problem.

It has also been terribly hot (90-102) here for a few weeks. Hmmm...

Congrats Herbie! I have lots of japanese eggplants growing, and have no clue what to do with them I have never eaten eggplant, but they were just the prettiest plants ever.

kanita -

What to do with eggplant? Do you like Middle Eastern food? Last night I made some Babaganoush from my first batch of eggplants. It is a sort of a dip or spread that you can eat on bread, meat, veggies, salad, etc. - makes anything taste good. Roast some eggplants whole over the gas flame, right on the burner, turning them to get all of the skin charred (works best with the narrow eggplant). Throw them into a paper bag as they get done, keep it closed for about 15-20 minutes. Then scrape off the skin; don't worry if it's not perfect, because you want that smoked flavor. This is messy - keep a damp towel near.

Chop and put in a bowl with lemon juice, a little water, chopped raw garlic, salt, pepper, and Tahini (roasted sesame butter). The proportions are up to you, but I suggest a ratio of 4-5 measures chopped eggplant to 1 measure Tahini. Grind it all up - I use a hand blender so it has a slightly rough texture. Then cover and let sit in the fridge for an hour to overnight, so the flavors will "marry". Some recipes add olive oil, which tastes good, but the Tahini makes it pretty rich anyway.

Thinking about Babaganoush is what makes me want to grow eggplant.

kabocha

I've got three little eggplants too!!!!!

tombaak - did you see my question about my eggplant flowers falling off?
someone suggested that i take an q-tip and rub them in the flowers and then go to the next one. i tried it with the white eggplants because thats where i was having trouble. will let you know what happens.

Thanks kabocha! I do like Middle Eastern food, but have never tried anything with eggplant. I will try your recipe as soon as I have a couple of eggplants ready to cut. It's so funny because I am growing japanese eggplant, american eggplant and Italian bianca rosa eggplants, just because they look pretty!

kanita

kanita - on the recipe forum you can get tons of recipes for your eggplant. eggplant parm is the best.

Thanks Herbie

I too have lots of flowers but only tiny fruits.

On what to do with them, try Caponata, a Sicilian appetizer absolutely delicious. There are numerous variations - just do a search and you'll find them.

Viva Azzuri - World Cup Champions!

kanita,

I am so jealous. I have beautiful eggplant plants and flowers, but so far, no eggplants. I am in Zone 5 something. I usually get my eggplants later than this. But I agree about Caponata and Babaganoush. You can also stuff them a variety of ways, with vegetables or vegetables combined with ground meat or small shrimp. There are many wonderful Asian recipes as well.
You are a lucky person -- and they are beautiful as well.

You can also slice eggplant and fry it.....YUMMY!!!! That's the only way I'll eat it other than eggplant parmesian.

Okay, you guys are making me hungry, no I can't wait for those darn eggplants to be ready to pick!