Bitterness and seeds

[Raiquee]

mensplace there is an array of online places to get some eggplant seeds. If you want heirlooms like Casper and Rosa Bianca rareseeds.com is a place to get them. Otherwise if you don't mind hybrids there is johnnysseeds.com.

I grow routinely 20ish eggplants of varying varieties. The miniature ones and the Asian ones are good if you want to a smaller amount to add to a stir fry or I like grilling them in spices as a side. The bigger varieties I use for Italian cooking or deep frying them (yum).

Eggplants aren't really an accepted veggie in the US. It is sad. I enjoy them but my grandparents came from Sicily and we had eggplant every Sunday with our Sunday supper.

Just be sure to pick before you lose the sheen on the skin, otherwise the skin gets bitter and tougher and the seeds swell and are much more noticeable.

[Black Krim]

This past year I noticed the tiny baby sized eggplant at the local grocery. The price per pound was 2x the big typical type. I realize there is a higher cost in picking each little one BUT that pricing was enough to put me off.

I planned to wait for my plants to produce.....joke was on me. Not long enough season and the chickens like to peck at the growing fruits. lol

I look a lot and I have had to work at finding new recipes other than eggplant parm.

Worth, Im right there with you.
I cook. Most of my friends are too busy to coook. I raise easter eggers, marans, muscovy, burbon reds, and more.

I had to learn a lot of new skills!

[Father'sDaughter]

If you want to try a few varieties, check out the Asian Trio and Italian Trio packs at Renee's Garden - https://www.reneesgarden.com/collect...les/eggplants/

I grow the Violetta Lunga every year, but I've recently added an Asian variety as well. I like them much better than the big, bulbous varieties.

[Zeedman]

As already stated, when picked young, both bitterness & seediness are reduced. There was a variety I trialed from the Philippines that had long, very slim fruit (only 4-5" long X 1-2" wide when mature); but it had more seeds than I am accustomed to, and those seeds formed early. Picked very young though - pinky finger sized - they were virtually seedless. The skin at that stage was also tender enough that peeling was unnecessary, and had very little bitterness. We use those tiny eggplants whole in soup.

The plants set fruit in clusters, and are very prolific - but also incredibly thorny!!! Even the leaves have thorns, you pretty much need leather gloves to harvest. I still grow them, though, since they have been exceptionally tolerant of cool weather.

There are other eggplant varieties that set fruit in clusters (such as Little Fingers), which might be worth harvesting very young.

[JRinPA]

Sorry I didn't see this earlier, but I was very impressed last year by Dancer. I managed to get a few germinated this year, but I had only bought a 25 pack of seed last season. I got my Dancer from Johnny's. It is purple instead of black, skinny instead of regular shape, and really doesn't get old/seedy nearly as bad as regular eggplant does if left on the vine too long. It might be considered a japanese eggplant, I can't say I'm real familiar with the eggplant terms. It is a hybrid, and it's on the list for this winter's order.

[Hairy Moose Knuckles]

Fairy Tale is pretty to look at, but it isn't much on taste, in my opinion.

Ichiban is pretty good. A friend told me about it last year and we liked it. I like them sliced, rubbed with olive oil, seasoned and then grilled.


There is also a Greek dish I like, but I can't spell or pronounce it very well.

It's layered and baked like lasagna. It's made with Eggplant, hamburger meat, white sauce.