When to collect and how to store eggplant: storage methods at home
Most families want vitamins on the table for as long as possible, including a beloved and very healthy vegetable like eggplant. And this is not surprising, because it is rarely inferior to other fruits and vegetables in taste, nutritional value and a set of vitamins. And although all year round in supermarkets "blue" vegetables can be seen both fresh and canned, one cannot do without homemade preparations.
How to correctly determine the timing of the ripening of the crop, as well as the methods and rules for storing eggplant fruits at home, is discussed in our article.
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When to pick eggplants: when the crop ripens
As a rule, the technical ripeness of eggplant fruits occurs on average a month after their flowering. Of course, the earlier varieties ripen in 25 days, the later ones in 35-40 days.If you count from the moment sowing seeds for seedlingsthen this is approximately 90 to 150 days.
Important! As practice shows, best stored medium or late varieties of eggplant, and the early ones are often grown specifically for direct consumption (cooking) immediately after harvest.
You can determine if the eggplant is ready for harvesting. by their shape and size, which must correspond to the variety (its characteristics), andtheir skin color, namely the characteristic glossy surface painting. Skin shades also differ depending on the variety: the color is not only blue,dark purple, lilac or lilac, but also white.
In addition, a ripe eggplant the seeds inside should be relatively white, a pulp should become elastic... This, of course, can only be verified experimentally, namely by cutting in half.
Advice! On average, standard elongated varieties should be more than 10-12 cm long, pear-shaped eggplants (somewhat similar to black tomatoes) have a diameter of more than 5-6 cm.
As for the approximate timing of the eggplant harvest, on average, it is August-September (in the south, with early planting of seedlings, from the second half of July).
Note! You need to harvest eggplants before the first frost, otherwise the vegetable will "beat" the frost and it will deteriorate.
If you cut the fruit too early, then they wrinkle (wither) very quickly and lose their taste.
If, on the contrary, let them overripe, then the color of the fruit will become "brown" (not glossy, but dull), the flesh will not be white, but brown, tough and tasteless (with a bitter taste), and the seeds will be dark.
By the way! If you collected on time eggplant, and they still bitter, then, most likely, the vegetable in the process of its development suffered from a lack of moisture. Actually, because of this, a solanine-glycoalkaloid was developed in it.
Video: Harvesting Eggplant
How to harvest
When harvesting, follow these guidelines and rules:
- Cut the fruits optimally in dry weather.
- Eggplant harvestare harvested not immediately, but gradually as they ripen (every 5-7 days), choosing the most ripe fruits.
- The most convenient way to cut the fruit is secateurs or use sharp knife.
- When cutting it is recommended leave a small tail up to 4-5 cm long.
- It is impossible to wash the fruits after collection for storage, which is why it is recommended to collect them only in dry weather.
Advice! Some varieties of eggplant have rather peculiar sharp thorns on the tail (peduncle) closer to the base of the fruit, in which case it is better to harvest with gloves.
Video: when and how to cut eggplants, and then put away for storage
Methods and rules for storing eggplants at home: in the cellar and apartment (refrigerator)
Of course, potatoes, cabbage, pumpkin, zucchini, onion and garlic, and carrot and beet stores much better than eggplants. However, if the conditions are right, you can keep the fruit fresh or frozen for up to 2-3 months. To do this, you just need to follow certain rules and recommendations for storing them at home.
Optimal storage conditions for eggplants:
- dark place without access to light;
- temperature - +2 .. + 4 degrees;
- humidity - up to 75-90%.
Important! If the temperature is noticeably higher than +5 degrees, and the humidity is close to 95%, then the eggplant fruits can get sick with gray rot.
It is also worth knowing that eggplant should be kept separate from other vegetables and fruits.If the fruit is exposed to ethylene, which is emitted by many vegetables and fruits in the process of their keeping quality, then it begins to ripen quickly, which means it quickly deteriorates.
In a cellar or basement
A classically suitable place for storing eggplants and other vegetables is the cellar or basement of a private house.
Before you put the fruits for storage in the basement, they need to be lightly wiped from dirt with a dry cloth (you cannot wash, as you remember). Then put on a shelf in 1-2 layers in wooden or cardboard boxes.
After 2-3 weeks, it is imperative to carefully examine the fruits, the best ones are wrapped in paper and this time laid out on a straw pillow, the height of which is about 15-20 cm. Then put a dense fabric, such as burlap, on top.
The maximum shelf life for eggplants in a basement or cellar is around 2-3 months. However, do not forget to periodically review them, which you, in fact, will do when choosing the next vegetable for cooking.
Indoor conditions (in an apartment / house)
In any case, you will need some of the eggplants for cooking various dishes, so there is no point in storing them in the basement, putting them in the refrigerator or freezing them in the freezer.
It is necessary to store eggplants in an apartment in the coolest dark place, while it is advisable to put the fruits in paper bags (they have good air permeability), each in a separate bag.
Important! In no case should you put it in plastic bags, in such a container, eggplants quickly deteriorate due to lack of ventilation.
It's another matter if you have them with holes.
The maximum shelf life in room conditions is up to 2-4 days.
In a refrigerator
In general, storing eggplants in the refrigerator is similar to storing in a cellar or basement, but there are nuances. It is optimal to put the fruits in plastic / plastic bags, but do not close them, but simply put them on the bag (so that the air can circulate freely). Of course, the best place in the refrigerator is on the bottom vegetable shelf. But if she is busy, then there is nothing to worry about, just put it on the empty space.
The approximate shelf life in the refrigerator is 3 to 7 days.
Video: ways to store eggplant for the winter
In the freezer
By far the best place to store eggplants for a long time is in the freezer.
But before sending the eggplants to the freezer, they must first be cut, heat treated, dried, and only then frozen. In this frozen form, you can feast on eggplants all winter and even spring (maximum shelf life 6-12 months) until you run out of them. However, they will taste slightly different (some strongly dislike it, but it's worth a try).
Note! Of course, you can try freezing the eggplants fresh (raw) without cooking, but the result will be rubbery, watery, and no taste at all.
P.S. although many advise using them for puree soup.
How exactly do you prepare "blues" or "whites" for freezing?
Important! Only you can choose the best way to prepare eggplants for freezing, because it all depends on the exact form in which you need them (chopped or whole) and what you are going to cook from them specifically.
Method number 1 (in the oven - you can cook fresh caviar, add to soup, or stuff):
- Pierce each eggplant with a toothpick or knife (so that all the air comes out of them).
- Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment and place in a preheated oven (180-200 degrees) for 30-40 minutes.
- Allow to cool, and then discard the ponytail with the green portion by cutting it off along with the fruit portion.
- On each fruit, make an incision on top, like a pocket (as if for stuffing).
- Fold in a colander or sieve with the cut (seam) down. Cover the top with a plate and put a load, for example, a jar, so that all excess liquid drains out, in other words, they dry out.
- Place in resealable food containers or cellophane bags. Moreover, you can put several servings in the container (if it is large), wrapping each separately in cling film.
- Place in the freezer.
Idea! You can cut the eggplants into pieces (2x2 cm), spread on a baking sheet and bake, or rather, bake in the oven at 120 degrees for about 40-50 minutes. Cool and place in the freezer.
Method number 2 (blanching or boiling - for casseroles, filling for pies, you can simply fry with onions, with the addition of garlic and herbs, for stews, soup-puree):
- First you need to cut the fruits in any convenient way, that is rings (circles), plates, straws or cubes.
- Put the chopped eggplants in a sieve (colander) and immerse in boiling salted water for 1 minute (in the process, press down the floating pieces with a spoon or slotted spoon (leaky ladle)).
- Allow to cool, while it is very important to maximize the glass of water. Therefore, they must again be put in a sieve (colander) and covered with something on top, and then pressed down with a load.
- Divide into food containers with lids or plastic bags.
- To freeze.
Method number 3 (toasting - for cake, rolls):
- Cut the fruits into 3-4 cm thick plates or slices.
- If they are bitter, then salt it well and let it stand (salt) for half an hour.
- Rinse off salt under running water, and then dry, for example, dipping in paper towels.
- Then you need to lightly fry all the chopped eggplants in a skillet over medium heat in vegetable oil, or initially grease with a brush and then you can bake in a dry pan.
- Allow to cool completely. Divide into resealable food containers or plastic bags. Moreover, you can put several servings in the container (if it is large), wrapping each separately in cling film.
- Put in the freezer for storage.
Advice! When you need to get eggplants, transfer the container or plastic bag to the refrigerator overnight and you can start preparing a new dish just in the morning.
Video: how to properly freeze eggplants for the winter - 3 proven ways
Important! The main trouble with freezing fresh eggplants for the winter is the fact that they become rubbery in taste. To prevent this, watch the following video, in which the author shares his tips for properly freezing a vegetable.
Spoiler alert: the author conducts heat treatment in the microwave.
Video: how to properly freeze eggplant for the winter so that they are not rubber
How else can you save and prepare eggplants for the winter: drying conservation
As you already understood, eggplants are not suitable for long-term (more than 3 months) fresh winter storage. It is much better to make various homemade preparations out of them, in other words, to preserve them, although they can still be dried.
Conservation
More details about this method of preserving and preparing eggplants for the winter will be discussed in future articles, but for now we suggest you watch a video recipe for preserving "blue" ones so that they turn out like mushrooms.
Drying
To preserve eggplants for the winter at home, they can be dried, namely: cut them into rings about 1.5-2 cm wide (thick) (or strips), then string them on a thread (but so that they do not touch each other if possible with a friend), hang and dry (4-7 days).
It is even more convenient and faster to dry eggplants in an electric dryer.
You can store dried eggplant in glass jars (with a lid) or linen bagsby placing in a kitchen cabinet or hanging bags in a dry pantry.
When it's time to cook, you just need to fill them with cold water for 1-2 hours, squeeze and put in a saucepan or brazier.
However, Keep in mind that many people often complain that such dried eggplants taste like a sole!
For the harvested eggplant crop to be of the greatest benefit, it must be properly preserved. This will make it possible to qualitatively diversify the daily diet in terms of taste and nutritional qualities at home.
Video: when to harvest eggplant and how to store it