skip to main content

Vegetable Gardening

Eggplant Varieties - Texture Comparison

13 years ago

For those of you who have grown a lot of different eggplants - is there a difference in texture and flavor between them? I am growing Hansel this year and I didn't do any research at all. This year. :)

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

farmerdilla
13 years ago
Texture is pretty similar except for some of the exotics. Have not grown Hansel, but have grown the miniature Slim Jim ( good flavor, but fruits are too small for most uses) Large fruited cultivars like Black Beauty have a slightly courser texture and less flavor than the long Asian varieties like Ichiban. Whites and greens really don't match my taste buds as well as the purples.
{{gwi:26580}} {{gwi:28106}} {{gwi:49068}} {{gwi:14365}} {{gwi:14364}}
cindysunshine
Original Author
13 years ago
Gorgeous pics! I am anxious to see how they do this year - arming myself with a bunch of recipes to try.
Related Discussions
All Natural vs Synthetic Comparison
Q
Comments (13)
Ron, So you use liquid organic fertilizer. That's what I wondered. I had poor experience with just solid organic fertilizer in the past, although it was in an overly wet SWC. "How old is that urine? What doasge do you use?" The age varies from just created to several weeks. Doesn't seem to matter to much. After about 2 days the pH goes above 8, so it is alkaline. Which might be an advantage when using leaves. I dilute it about 1:5 HLF:water. Don't keep track of dosage. Whenever the leaves look a little yellowish, I add some. Same with the Foliage Pro. Also if the weather is cold, I don't add too much HLF, even if the leaves are yellowish, since when it heats up, much more of the nitrogen becomes available quickly. It does take a lot of HLF to hurt a plant. As an experiment I kept overdosing a small 1.5' tomato plant in the ground to see what it could take. It took 2 cups of undiluted HLF poured right onto the stem base to kill it. The tubs are 18 gallons, big enough for a tomato. "Isn't it high in salts, even diluted?" It has much less salt in it then Foliage Pro. I spilled a little of each in separate trays and let them evaporate, just to compare the salt concentration. "I am skeptical, mainly because pee kills things, and contains all the toxins your body flushes out. I'd have to say that draining in your "pots" couldn't be the best thing.." I had a friend who drained directly in his flower pots. Whenever the neighborhood garden club came over they always exclaimed on how great his flowers were & asked for his secret. He delightfully revealed his secret to their dismay. My wife now asks me to do the same. There's a lot of university research that's been done in Sweden on this subject, that was discussed over a year ago here. You can search on urine and my name to find it. They have villages in Sweden where the city collects the urine and gives it to the local farmers.
...See More
Too Much Color-Texture-Variety??(Many Pics)
Q
Comments (90)
Brent, No rain here. They also called off the effects of the cold front we were supposed to be getting, i.e., the temps are now going to be in the upper eighties instead of very low eighties (as had been forecast all week). I'm bummed. If a mattock is the same thing as a pick-axe, then it has become the most used tool in our arsenal as well. Our tiller can't do anything except scrape the surface. (BTW: How's Otto doing?) Frankie, Because I am a plant junkie, and because I am turning DH into one as well, we will certainly be adding more and more plants in coming months and years. The immediate problem with our ground conditions has come about due to zero rainfall for the past five weeks. Normally our soil is fairly easy to work with. laag, Thanks. I understand what you mean about too much of a flattening effect. I am doing what I can to re-work what's here to lessen the effect. As much as I would like to have larger specimens to start with, I can't seem to find any. So I will have to count on time, to some extent, to add more depth to the scene. Many of the shrubs we do have will (fairly rapidly) reach 4-6 feet in height and width, which should have a favorable effect on the "depth factor". During the course of this posting, I find myself staring more and more often across the street to my neighbors front yard. His is a two story brick colonial and is masterfully grounded by medium and large shrubby trees planted across the front and at the "wings" on either side. I would be sorely tempted to copy many of his plant choices if it weren't for the fact that his front yard has a northern exposure (shade) and mine is the total opposite. I can, however, try to mimic the size and forms of his plantings. If he has managed to properly "ground" a large two story colonial, then my challenge should be child's-play in comparison. Annie, The trellis is 10 ft. tall and 4 ft. wide and the bottom two feet are buried in the dirt. Although it is technically possible to move it, it is already at least 15 inches out from the siding (for air circulation) and I think it would look odd if it were any farther away from the wall. Still, the rose is less than a year old and will probably get much bushier as it matures and is regularly pruned. That should help to achieve the effect you describe. ......Jan
...See More
bitter, seedy eggplant :(
Q
Comments (20)
DCRemodeler, did you salt the eggplant shown in your initial post? If so the goal, for me at least, would be to not have the need to use any salt. I use no salt on eggplant harvested from my garden. Rarely do I have bitter eggplant. Hopefully, this will also be the case when your Ichiban comes in. The new cultivars I'm trying this year are Santana and Ping Tung. Hopefully, these will also remain bitter free without using salt.
...See More
Ground cherry variety comparisons
Q
Comments (13)
I grew Cossack Pineapple, Aunt Molly's, Goldie and New Hanover side by side this year. Cossack Pineapple definitely tastes different from the others, but I preferred the taste of New Hanover the best. However, for yield Goldie was the clear winner. Also, New Hanover, Cossack Pineapple and Aunt Molly's all gave me lots of little pea sized fruit mixed in with larger fruit. New Hanover in particular had a huge variation in fruit size, with some fruit being large and others being tiny. Goldie was the only one that had consistent fruit size. So if you want yield and consistency, Goldie is best. For flavor, Cossack Pineapple and New Hanover were best, depending on your preference. Supposedly, Aunt Molly's is best for pies, but I didn't do any baking. I will be growing Goldie to sell at the farmer's market next year, but I might throw in a plant or two of New Hanover for myself to snack on. Cape Gooseberry is in the same family as ground cherries, but it is very different in flavor and the plant also grows differently. The berries have a really unique taste and I highly recommend putting a plant or two in the garden.
...See More
tastytravels
13 years ago
Oooohhh pretty! I *heart* eggplant. My favorites are the purple skinny asian varieties. To me they taste the best (sweeter), have very little seeds and are pretty! I'm growing the millionaire and Thai tiger eggplants this year.
erin_nc
13 years ago
Gorgeous pics!!!

I almost didn't recognize the eggplant leaves. They look so healthy! Mine are shredded to bits from the blasted flea beetles.
bcskye
13 years ago
I'm trying Early Long Purple this year and hope that its a good one. My husband really doesn't like eggplant and I'm hoping he'll like this one.
cindysunshine
Original Author
13 years ago
20 years ago when I was in a particularly vigorous healthy eating kick, I made an eggplant dish. Everything was low fat in that era and somehow I just dumped in the eggplant. While I am normally quite a good cook, this meal was one of the most memorable disasters - the kids still talk about how bad it was and they were under 10. It really set a bad family tone for eggplant and I haven't ventured back to it. I have been collecting recipes and plan to redeem the poor maligned vegetable and my family's confidence in my ability to conquer it!
DrHorticulture_
13 years ago
We like the little eggplants Indian style. Keep the stalk on to use as a handle, slit and stuff with a mixture of tomato paste, grated coconut and spices (roasted coriander seed, asafetida, hot peppers, whatever else you like). Pan fry in vegetable oil and serve with rice & lentils or flatbread. A variation used ground peanuts instead of coconut. The eggplant sepals are edible too.
tracydr
13 years ago
I like mine roasted the best. Any variety but i'm growing the long, small Asian. I also have a black beauty just starting ton fruit. The Asian is 11/2 years old.
Toss with olive oil, garlic and tomatoes. Summer squash or peppers. Roast on 350 about twenty minutes on a baking sheet. Add minced,fresh basil when it gets out of the oven.
cyrus_gardner
13 years ago
I have few varieties groing. But only the ICHIBANs have fruits. Here is a pic that I took 2 days ago.
{{gwi:49069}}

They should continue fruiting till fall. The plants are still ver small and young.

cyrus

Related Stories

WALL TREATMENTS Pick the Right Paint Finish to Fit Your Style

By Laura Gaskill

The question of finish may be as crucial as color. See which of these 9 varieties suits your space — and budget

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Dare to Mix Things Up in the Landscape

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

Courageously contrast plantings, materials and structures in your garden to create unexpected beauty and intrigue

BATHROOM DESIGN Bathroom Surfaces: Ceramic Tile Pros and Cons

By By Any Design Ltd.

Learn the facts on this popular material for bathroom walls and floors, including costs and maintenance needs, before you commit

PATTERN Mix Pillow Patterns Like a Pro: 17 Foolproof Themes

Toss together one of these helpful pattern mixes for a sofa, chair or bed bursting with liveliness

DECORATING GUIDES Animal Prints: A Love-It-or-Hate-It Look

By Jess McBride

Some embrace faux furs and animal-print upholstery as classic looks. Others see them as a tacky throwback

LANDSCAPE DESIGN The 7 Best Plant Types for Creating Privacy and How to Use Them

By Falon Mihalic

Follow these tips for using different kinds of plants as living privacy screens

WHITE How to Pick the Right White Paint

By Kelly Porter

White is white, right? Not quite. See 8 white paint picks for 8 very different effects

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING 8 Rot-Resistant Woods for Your Outdoor Projects

By Falon Mihalic

No need for chemical treatments on your deck or pergola. These woods stand up to weather, insects and time beautifully on their own

REMODELING GUIDES Wisdom to Help Your Relationship Survive a Remodel

By Mitchell Parker

Spend less time patching up partnerships and more time spackling and sanding with this insight from a Houzz remodeling survey

FLOORS Know Your Flooring: Concrete

By Rebecca Gross

Concrete floors have a raw and elegant beauty that can be surprisingly warm

Sponsored

More Discussions

What are rabbits favorite veggies?

11

Tiny leaf bite marks

7

Does sevin work on bare dirt?

14

Confused about overwintered potato plants

3

3