Asian Eggplant

[Cole_Robbie]

My family always used the dust more than the spray. I think it 5%.

Flea beetles are a problem for me in the early spring. Once the plant grows out of it, hopefully you won't have to keep applying the Sevin.

[HiPoha]

I am growing the green eggplants. They have firm flesh and mild taste. I use it in cooking that allows flavors to soak into it. They are strong growers and resistant to nematodes.

Response to Starlight below: No, I do not salt the eggplants to get moisture out of them. It is the opposite with my cooking, I want them to get mushy and soft in my prepared dishes. Imagine chicken in cream of mushroom with eggplants simmered till everything is soft but not falling apart.

[peebee]

Flea beetles are a problem for me in the early spring. Once the plant grows out of it, hopefully you won't have to keep applying the Sevin.[/QUOTE]

How I miss my flea beetles! I used to moan and groan when my eggplants were infested with them for the first time, about 7 years ago. After a while though, there was an almost Zen-like peacefulness that came over me as I looked for and then squished with my bare fingers those quick-silver jumpers. I began to think of myself as the Flea Beetle Whisperer, as I became an expert in turning over leaves without disturbing them. Alas, they are long gone now, taken over by the spider mites. There is no fun in "finding" them, they are everywhere, top, bottom and sides of every leaf of every plant in both my front and back gardens! I've tried every control advised here on TVille; they are impossible to eradicate and I can only hope that one day our drought in CA will be over and the dry hot dusty conditions they love will be gone.

[Starlight]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

My family always used the dust more than the spray. I think it 5%.

Flea beetles are a problem for me in the early spring. Once the plant grows out of it, hopefully you won't have to keep applying the Sevin.

Thanks! I am hoping not to have such a big problem this year. Crossing toes and fingers. I'm planting everything out later too, so hopefully most of the beneficials will out by then. I try and stay away from spraying, but sometimes when it comes to the level of economic loss, you gotta pull out the big guns.

Originally Posted by HiPoha

I am growing the green eggplants. They have firm flesh and mild taste. I use it in cooking that allows flavors to soak into it. They are strong growers and resistant to nematodes.

Glad you joined in! It's always nice to here how different folks like their veggies and how they use them. With the green ones, do you have to salt them to get liquid out before cooking with them, so they not mushy?

Originally Posted by peebee

Flea beetles are a problem for me in the early spring. Once the plant grows out of it, hopefully you won't have to keep applying the Sevin.

How I miss my flea beetles! I used to moan and groan when my eggplants were infested with them for the first time, about 7 years ago. After a while though, there was an almost Zen-like peacefulness that came over me as I looked for and then squished with my bare fingers those quick-silver jumpers. I began to think of myself as the Flea Beetle Whisperer, as I became an expert in turning over leaves without disturbing them. Alas, they are long gone now, taken over by the spider mites. There is no fun in "finding" them, they are everywhere, top, bottom and sides of every leaf of every plant in both my front and back gardens! I've tried every control advised here on TVille; they are impossible to eradicate and I can only hope that one day our drought in CA will be over and the dry hot dusty conditions they love will be gone.[/QUOTE]

Oh no! I feel for you! I've had a couple, but usually I don't have my glasses on when working with the plants, so my face right up in the foliage. Usually if I see any it is right after watering and they run along the edge of the containers and I will chase em til I squish em. Want me to send you some flea beetles? Send you back down memory lane. Keep you from getting rusty.

In all sincerity, I hope you can find something that works. Don't know if your area has been getting rain or not, but hopefully the drought will end soon.

[roper2008]

I started only a few plants of Ma-Zu, Hari, Tsakoniki, and I'm waiting for Pintung Long
to sprout.

[Starlight]

Originally Posted by roper2008

I started only a few plants of Ma-Zu, Hari, Tsakoniki, and I'm waiting for Pintung Long
to sprout.

Roper... This your first time trying those? I googled them and Ma-Zu is something else to see. Looks like the fruits are really long in the pic. I liked how Hari said it was sweet.

Which, by the way, those of you that have grown the green Asian varieties, do you happen to know do they ripen faster than say Black Beauty? Also, about how many fruits per plant? I'm trying to figure out about how many plants I will need to grow. I don't know if you can just freeze the eggplant alone, but it rough when you suddenly get an urge for eggplant Parmesan in the middle of winter and none is available at stores.

[HiPoha]

The ones I grow look like the Louisiana Green Long Eggplant. Once the plant starts bearing with the help of hand pollination, you can have about three nice fruits per plant per week. You can get the UH long green eggplant seeds from here:
http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/seed/seeds.asp

[peebee]

Aloha HiPoha, I used to live on Oahu many years ago, near Punahou school. Never had a garden while there though. Now I am in dry So. CA, conditions very different from HI. I have ordered from UH before, very reasonable prices. Wonder if the green eggplants will grow well here; the Japanese ones do. Would you say the taste and texture are about the same as the Japanese purple ones?

[HiPoha]

Hello Peebee: Glad to hear you lived here in Hawaii, great place. The green eggplant is firmer than the long Japanese eggplant. It does not have that "bite" on the tongue that the purple ones have. Taste is on the mild side, not bitter at all. I think the green eggplant from UH will grow in dry sunny weather as long as it gets watered twice a day. I have them growing in 25 gallon half barrels. I use a large plastic bag and 3 foot high wire fencing over the containers to incubate the seedlings till they are about 2 feet high (a month). The UH seed program is very cheap and you get lots of seeds for the $1 Home Garden Package that are also postpaid.

[peebee]

Yeah, more people should use the UH offer.
When you say "bite" what exactly do you mean? To me, eggplants have no bite, they are not firm or spicy. Do you mean maybe bitter?
Can you use them in tempura or will they fall apart, as you mentioned earlier that you like these green ones cuz they become so soft in cooking? We also use them in Asian dishes like mabo nasu, subbing the eggplant(nasu) for the tofu here.
It's too late to order seeds, I am already growing my Japanese eggplants for the summer, but I will order these later this year to get fresh seeds.
Mahalo HiPoha.

[HiPoha]

Hello again Peebee. Maybe it has to do with personal physical tasting. By "bite" I mean the eggplant will cause the tongue to feel a pinch, either on the top or sides. There are few vegetables that does this to me. Maybe other people don't have this happening to them. The green long eggplant will make great tempura, I have tried it. Should work in mabo nasu as well. I like them in cream style dishes best.

[peebee]

Ok I'll definitely get seeds from UH then, along with some lettuce later this year.
Thanks.

[Starlight]

Originally Posted by HiPoha

The ones I grow look like the Louisiana Green Long Eggplant. Once the plant starts bearing with the help of hand pollination, you can have about three nice fruits per plant per week. You can get the UH long green eggplant seeds from here:
http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/seed/seeds.asp

Aggggggg ! I shouldn't have looked. I spent hours and hours going through all their seed, making a list of what to order. Some really different and unusual varieties I hadn't seen before.

[roper2008]

Originally Posted by Starlight

Roper... This your first time trying those? I googled them and Ma-Zu is something else to see. Looks like the fruits are really long in the pic. I liked how Hari said it was sweet.

Which, by the way, those of you that have grown the green Asian varieties, do you happen to know do they ripen faster than say Black Beauty? Also, about how many fruits per plant? I'm trying to figure out about how many plants I will need to grow. I don't know if you can just freeze the eggplant alone, but it rough when you suddenly get an urge for eggplant Parmesan in the middle of winter and none is available at stores.

The Ma-Zu I grew last year. It is very long and light purple. Hari is new to me this year.

[taboule]

Nice thread and info, here's my take.

Eggplant is one of my favorite vegies, I usually grow Black Beauty, Ichiban (long Japanese) and a small Greek variety we use for stuffing (with rice mix), among others.

Simplest way to cook/eat it is: grill on hot coals until soft, peel charred skin, cut into medium chunks, salt and olive oil, scoop into pita bread and enjoy.

To make Baba Ghannouj (eggplant and tahine dip), starting with charbroiled, mush the meat with tahine (sesame paste) freshly mushed garlic, and lemon juice. Sprinkle with EVO and savor with pita or veggie sticks.

To minimize the bitterness that someone mentioned, keep plants very well watered in summer. Harvest fruit when moderately young (or before they get old and softer), before the seeds fully mature -that's the main source of the bitterness.