Like most outdoor plants during the winter they require a cover to protect them from the frost. Frost can kill plants and can be detrimental to your eggplants. A simple mulch cover over the soil can help to protect your eggplant’s roots and help the soil retain its nutrients.
How do you prepare eggplant for the winter?
Start by poking the eggplant with a fork, then roast in a 400°F oven for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the eggplant, until it starts to collapse. Once cool, halve the eggplant, scoop out the flesh, and freeze in freezer bags or containers.
Will eggplant come back every year?
You sure can!
It’s called overwintering. And, if your climate is warm enough (or you can keep the plant warm enough) you can keep your same eggplant plant alive for years to come. You can do this with a variety of other plants too, such as peppers (hot or sweet), tomatoes, & okra!
What is the lowest temperature eggplant can tolerate?
Eggplant is generally more sensitive to cooler temperatures than its cousins, tomatoes and peppers. Flowers consistently set fruit down to 60 F nighttime temperatures. Eggplants begin to get chilling injury at temperatures below 50 F.
What do you do with an abundance of eggplant?
91 aubergenius ways to use up the eggplant in your fridge
- Melanzane alla parmigiana (eggplant parmigiana)
- Eggplant mesa’a’ah (egyptian spiced eggplant)
- Slow-roasted butter eggplant curry.
- Fried eggplant and tahini sabih with zhoug (middle eastern)
- Sicilian eggplant rolls.
- Moroccan spiced eggplant with cauliflower mash.
Do you have to blanch eggplant before freezing?
Place the eggplant slices in the boiling water and blanch them for 4 minutes. Blanching destroys enzymes in the eggplant that cause the vegetable to break down over time. If you do not blanch the eggplant, it will begin losing nutritional value, color, and flavor within a month, even if you freeze it.
Will eggplant survive a frost?
In general, a frost (31-33 degrees F.) will kill beans, cantaloupe, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, peas, pepper, potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, tomatoes, and watermelon.
How many years do eggplants live?
How long do eggplant plants live? Eggplant plants can live up to three years in very warm climates, like zones 10-12. But in most regions they’re grown as annuals, and only live for one season.
Should I prune my eggplant?
ANSWER: Eggplants, like fellow nightshade family member tomatoes benefit from staking and pruning. In fact, eggplant actually produces more fruit when pruned. Pruning eggplant can also improve the fruit quality of the plant, and decrease the plant’s susceptibility to disease.
Do eggplant plants keep producing?
Eggplant tastes best when harvested young. Then, the plant’s energy will go into producing new fruit. If you harvest early and often, the plant will be quite prolific.
How do you protect eggplant from frost?
Protect Eggplants
For large eggplant plants, as well as tomatoes, get a few sturdy wooden garden stakes. Pound them in the soil around the plant. Then wrap your bubble wrap around the stakes and over the top to protect your plant.
When should eggplant be picked?
Eggplant should be harvested when they are one-third to two-thirds full mature size. ANSWER: We harvest eggplants in the unripe immature stage, like we do bell peppers, cucumbers, squash, okra and snap beans. As such, you cannot harvest them too early.
How do you increase eggplant yield?
If you have poor fruit set, hand-pollinate the flowers to help increase production. Use an electric toothbrush to vibrate to flower stems (not the flowers themselves) for a few seconds each to help the pollen move within the flowers. 9. The more frequently the fruits are harvested, the greater the fruit set.
What’s the best way to freeze eggplant?
To freeze eggplant:
- Slice the eggplant into 1-inch rounds. Place rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 350° for about 15 minutes. Allow the rounds to cool completely (do NOT skip this step).
- Place slices in a freezer-safe bag.
- Label with the date and freeze up to eight months.
Is it better to soak eggplant in milk or salt?
Soak it in milk.
The milk not only tempers the bitterness, but it actually makes for eggplant that is extra creamy, since the vegetable acts like a sponge and soaks up a good amount of milk in its flesh.
What happens if you do not blanch a vegetable before freezing it?
Blanching is a must for most vegetables to be frozen. It slows or stops the enzyme action which can cause loss of flavor, color and texture. The blanching time is very important and varies with the vegetable and size.
Can you fry frozen eggplant?
You can use frozen eggplant slices in any recipe that calls for cooked eggplant, such as soup, lasagna, or ratatouille. You can bread frozen eggplant slices with bread crumbs and fry straight from the freezer to make fried eggplant.
How do you thaw frozen eggplant?
If you want to thaw your eggplants, you can take them out of the freezer and place them in the fridge for a few hours. However, you can also just add your slices straight into the pan so it can thaw while cooking.
Can eggplant survive 40 degree nights?
Eggplant temperature requirements are high. They need temperatures from 20°C to 30°C (70°F – 85°F) and plenty of sunlight in order to thrive. Frost or temperature above 35°C (95°F) may cause a delay in flowering and serious damage to tissues and flowers.
At what temperature should you cover your plants at night?
Cover Plants – Protect plants from all but the hardest freeze (28°F for five hours) by covering them with sheets, towels, blankets, cardboard or a tarp. You can also invert baskets, coolers or any container with a solid bottom over plants. Cover plants before dark to trap warmer air.
Can you eat eggplant leaves?
Eggplant is another member of that infamous nightshade family. Sometimes people are under the impression that eating raw eggplant is poisonous, which isn’t true. However, the leaves and flowers of eggplants will probably make you sick, as that’s where most of the toxic solanine is concentrated.