using under-ripe aubergines

Harvesting and preserving your fruit & veg

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pongeroon
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Joined: Sat Jul 28, 2007 9:44 pm
Location: worcester

Is it possible to do this? We have eaten a few of the aubergines as they ripened, but most of them will not have time to ripen before the cold weather sets in. There are some good-sized ones and I don't want to waste them.
sarahscottdavies
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Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 5:35 pm
Location: West Sussex

Hiya.

I'm not even sure how to tell when they are ripe? (This is the first year I grew them successfully, and got at least twenty :D )..but anyway, I keep reading you can use them any size. Not sure if mine were fully ripe when I picked them, but i found once they'd been fried or roasted in olive oil and garlic, they were lovely and soft and perfectly tasty to eat.
pongeroon
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Posts: 580
Joined: Sat Jul 28, 2007 9:44 pm
Location: worcester

Thanks for your reply Sarah. I think they are fully ripe when they are a deep purpley black colour all over, but mine will never get to that stage now. I'm going to cut them all soon before it gets too cold, and cook them up anyway and see what happens. :D
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Colin_M
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Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 7:13 am
Location: Bristol

Hi Pongeroon, this will be of no help on your question, but it's still possible to go horribly wrong even when the aubergines are ripe.

A few years ago, someone organised a jaunty boat trip down the Thames & decided to cook lunch on board. They only had a small paraffin stove which struggled on the breezy day. Despite the chef's efforts he could never get the pan warm enough and the aubergines he was frying just soaked up the oil without browning. So he added more oil....and yet more.

The resulting dish managed to cause seasickness and much hanging over the side of the boat :oops:
pongeroon
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Posts: 580
Joined: Sat Jul 28, 2007 9:44 pm
Location: worcester

Yeeuuggh :? . Reminds me of my student days, watching someone eat a battered sausage, he bit the end off and the grease ran out like someone had turned on a tap...
pongeroon
KG Regular
Posts: 580
Joined: Sat Jul 28, 2007 9:44 pm
Location: worcester

Anyhow, I baked the under-ripe aubergines with tomatoes, onions, garlic and cheese and they were OK. Not as good as ripe, but better than wasting them. So now you know :D .
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