Harvest, store & prepare aubergines

The aubergine harvest season begins in summer and lasts until autumn. You can find out from us how to harvest the eggplant, how to store it properly and how to preserve it.

The cultivation of eggplants (Solanum melongena) in your own garden is becoming increasingly popular. The warmth-loving nightshade plant (Solanaceae) can produce numerous, brightly colored fruits in the right location and with good care. For hobby gardeners, however, it is difficult to estimate the right time to harvest. We explain when aubergines are ready to harvest, how to harvest aubergines correctly and how best to store them.

Harvesting aubergines: when are aubergines ripe?

Aubergines are a rather slow-growing vegetable. While you start rearing early in the year - from January - you can harvest from late summer until the first night frosts. In the greenhouse you can harvest your own thanks to early ripening Eggplant Varieties and catch up with the warmer temperatures from July. In the field, the harvest time for aubergines is from August to autumn. Aubergines should not be picked, but harvested with a sharp knife or pruning shears with the stem. This prevents damage to the plant and the fruits can be stored longer. It is important to first recognize whether the aubergines are still immature or ready for harvest.

The aubergine, like the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and potato (Solanum tuberosum) to the nightshade family, which produce the toxic alkaloid solanine. Solanine is found in unripe fruits and in the leaves of the eggplant. As the fruit ripens, the solanine and bitter substances are broken down. In order to recognize harvest-ready aubergines, the following points must be observed.

This is how you recognize ripe eggplants:

• Varietal colored skin.
• Gives slightly under finger pressure, the interior feels soft and a bit spongy.
• Cream-colored flesh with no green spots and no bitter taste.
• Slightly brownish-green colored seeds.

In addition to unripe aubergines, it is quite possible that fruits quickly become overripe. This can usually be recognized by the dull skin of the aubergine or a color change from white to yellow in white aubergine varieties or in the African eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum) from yellowish to deep orange-red. These fruits may still be harvested and eaten. Alternatively, you can use eggplant seeds for your own use.

tip: In Asia and Africa, aubergines are particularly popular as a cooking ingredient for dishes such as stews and curries because of their bitter taste. Even with ripe aubergines, the bitter substances are retained in these varieties. A bitter aubergine from the Asian store is therefore not classified as poisonous.

Storing and preserving eggplants

Aubergines can only be stored for a short time because they lose moisture quickly and the tissue is sensitive to pressure. The optimal storage temperature is 8 to 12 °C, then the fruits will keep for a maximum of 2 weeks. If aubergines are accidentally harvested when they are unripe, they should definitely ripen for a few days so that the substance solanine is broken down before they are stored in a cooler place.

Tip: If aubergines are stored together with apples or tomatoes, they will ripen more quickly, but will also spoil more quickly. These types of fruit produce the ripening gas ethene, which quickly leads to overripeness in aubergines, among other things. It is therefore best to store overripe aubergines in a different place - for unripe specimens, however, the faster after-ripening can be an advantage.

Store eggplants in the refrigerator

Eggplants are quite sensitive to cold and need high humidity. To store an aubergine in the refrigerator, the temperature should not fall below 8 °C. If you wrap the fruit in cling film, evaporation is reduced and the fruit stays fresh longer. If the temperature is too low, dark, sunken spots and other cold damage must be expected.

Freeze eggplant

If you want to keep excess eggplants fresh, you can freeze the vegetables. Raw specimens that are not overripe are best suited for this. Eggplants that have already been cooked can also be frozen. We show how freezing eggplants works best.

Instructions for freezing eggplant:

1. First, the aubergine is washed, peeled and cut into 8 mm thick slices.
2. Bring the water to a boil in the saucepan and add a little lemon juice. This prevents the natural brown coloring.
3. Blanch the slices in the hot water for a few minutes and let them dry briefly.
4. The eggplant is placed in freezer bags or cans and placed in the freezer.

In this way, aubergines stay fresh for several months and can be prepared when needed.

preserve aubergines

Excess aubergines can be preserved well and processed into delicious spreads, antipasti or pesto.

Pickle eggplant

Pickling is a popular way to extend shelf life while making delicious antipasti. In addition to an aubergine, only the following ingredients are required for pickling according to individual taste: water, vinegar, garlic, salt, olive oil and spices. Proceed as follows: Cut the aubergine into slices a few centimeters thick and cook them for a few minutes in half a liter of water and 100 ml of vinegar. Then scoop and dab the aubergine slices. To soak, you need a mason jar that has previously been boiled for a few minutes to sterilize. The aubergine slices are now layered in the glass together with the garlic, spices and salt and covered with olive oil. The pickled aubergines with Italian flair are ready. Processed in this way, the aubergines will keep for several weeks in a dark and cool place.

canning aubergines

Canning is typically a method of preserving vegetables for a very long time. The vegetables are boiled with various ingredients in the closed state. However, the method is rather unusual for aubergines, as the aromatic fruits quickly become soft. Basically, it makes more sense to soak them in oil. In this way, the aroma can unfold even better.

Early cultivation and planting ensures that numerous aubergines can be harvested. You can find out what to look out for in our special article on the subject plant eggplants.

tip: Since aubergines are heavy feeders, they need regular fertilizers to produce a bountiful harvest. It is best to provide your aubergines with a primarily organic organic fertilizer like ours when you plant them Plantura organic tomato fertilizer. Thanks to the natural long-term effect, a second fertilization is only due after about 3 months.

preparation

There are no limits to creativity when preparing aubergines. The mild, nutty taste goes well with a wide variety of dishes.

Cut eggplant

When cutting eggplant, it all depends on the intended use. Traditionally, aubergines are sliced ​​so that they can later be breaded, roasted, deep-fried or baked. For curries and stews, aubergines are usually simply divided into bite-sized pieces.

Do you have to peel eggplants?

Eggplants do not need to be peeled. The peel also contains various flavorings, vitamins and trace elements as well as anthocyanins, which give most fruits their dark color. In the case of aubergines that are harvested too late, however, it is worth peeling the usually tough skin.

Can you eat eggplant raw?

Ripe aubergines can be eaten raw without hesitation. However, only completely bitter-free varieties are recommended for this.

Eggplant is brown inside: what to do?

If an eggplant is brown on the inside, this can have several causes. On the one hand, the flesh of overripe aubergines quickly turns brown around the seeds, but the fruit can be used as normal. On the other hand, it can be an infestation with bacteria or fungi, which is quickly recognized by a foul, unpleasant smell and muddy, decaying tissue. These places should be cut out generously. By the way, aubergines also turn brown quickly if you leave them lying around cut up. When exposed to air, the injured cells oxidize and take on a rusty brown color. This can be easily prevented by rubbing the eggplant with lemon juice.

Eggplant tastes bitter: what to do?

If the aubergine tastes very bitter, it is better not to eat it, unless it is a variety that does not lose its bitterness even when ripe. However, if an aubergine that is actually free of bitter substances tastes bitter, it cannot be ruled out that it contains toxic solanine. A slight bitter taste can be extracted and dabbed off by salting the aubergine slices together with the liquid. The cooking process also makes bitter aubergines digestible. Any solanine contained is water-soluble and turns into the cooking water when cooking, which is then poured away.

A fruity-tasting, exotic-looking relative is the lulo (Solanum quitoense), which is very reminiscent of the aubergine in appearance. We present the warmth-loving nightshade plant and its requirements for planting and care.