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Aubergine

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Re: Aubergine

Postby herbidacious » Thu Jul 02, 2020 10:28 am

I am in London, Renee. I guess all that sun in May helped, but i did grow some decent ones last year too.

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Re: Aubergine

Postby Renee » Fri Jul 03, 2020 6:08 pm

That's wonderful herbi! You obviously have green fingers. I tried growing melons once but wasn't successful. I grew Physalis down one side of the greenhouse and was very successful. The flavour was lovely unlike the ones that you buy in the supermarket. Sadly no greenhouse since my move here.

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Re: Aubergine

Postby herbidacious » Fri Jul 03, 2020 8:55 pm

I tried to grow aubergines a few years ago and decided it wasn't worth it. The result was disappointing to say the least, and vowed not to let myself be suckered into it again. I have a similar ongoing and periodic vow to self re citrus plants.) But...last year I grew them on a homemade quadgrow (plastic Ikea under bed storage box with holes drilled in the lid, box bit filled with water and wicks through the pots into the tank etc. They seemed to like it so have done it again. They are actually probably not in the sunniest spot. When I get back from my mother's will cut back the ornamental kiwi to try and give them some more light.

All of the above applied to sweet peppers. It remains to be seen if they will be nice. I have found that red ones taste weird but yellow and orange are good.

Re green fingers, I grew a lot of aubergine plants from seed. They just seemed to stop growing at some point. I doubt I will get any fruit. I gave the healthiest ones to my neighbours, I should ask at some point how theirs have done. I might try again from seed next year but start earlier. Maybe.

I just ate the rest of my rather oleaginous aubergine mixture baked with mozzarella, capers, parmesan. Yum

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Re: Aubergine

Postby karadekoolaid » Fri Jul 03, 2020 11:20 pm

I bought some lovely aubergines in the market yesterday, and also had some bocconcini left over from the other day.
I stirfried a couple of anchovies with about 4 cloves of garlic, then added aubergine chunks, and turned the heat down to about half. Once the aubergines had absorbed all the oil and had begun to brown, I added some tomato sauce (from a pasta dish the other day) and 5-6 sundried tomatoes. I cooked the "stew" until everything was unctuous, then added a splash of balsamic; cut some bocconcini in half, put them on the top and then stuck them under the grill until the cheese had barely melted.
they were so good, I had to open a bottle of Merlot to wash them down.
:gonzo :gonzo

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Re: Aubergine

Postby Renee » Sun Jul 05, 2020 2:09 pm

That sounds most heavenly KK!

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Re: Aubergine

Postby halfateabag » Mon Jul 06, 2020 10:55 pm

In Lidls today near Athens, they had those lovely purple striped aubergines also white ones......

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Re: Aubergine

Postby Mamta » Mon Jul 06, 2020 11:13 pm

halfateabag wrote:In Lidls today near Athens, they had those lovely purple striped aubergines also white ones......

Little white ones are the reason why aubergines are also known as eggplant, plant that produces eggs .

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Re: Aubergine

Postby Renee » Tue Jul 07, 2020 12:03 am

That's interesting Mamta.

I used to see the very small aubergines in an Asian supermarket that I used to go to occasionally when I lived near to Rochdale. I do miss that place, also Wing Yip where I used to buy far too much!

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Re: Aubergine

Postby Stokey Sue » Tue Jul 07, 2020 12:48 am

At this time of year the Turkish shops have aubergines that are very dark purple but also about egg sized, make nice starter or meze portions of things like imam bayeldi

Some West Indians call the white ones garden eggs, which I like

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Re: Aubergine

Postby herbidacious » Tue Jul 07, 2020 11:40 am

I am wondering about seeds in aubergines. Are they unpleasant? I can't remember, it's so long since I had seedy ones.
The home grown ones had very few, but the baby ones Sainsbury's sent me the other week were exceedingly seedy (:) ) I dind't eat them in the end. I was, in fact, attending to them at the sink when the cupboard fell down, and they were subsequently disgarded.

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Re: Aubergine

Postby Mamta » Tue Jul 07, 2020 11:47 am

herbidacious wrote:I am wondering about seeds in aubergines. Are they unpleasant? I can't remember, it's so long since I had seedy ones.
The home grown ones had very few, but the baby ones Sainsbury's sent me the other week were exceedingly seedy (:) ) I dind't eat them in the end. I was, in fact, attending to them at the sink when the cupboard fell down, and they were subsequently disgarded.

Good quality aubergines should have very little seeds and if they have, seeds should be tiny/insignificant. If they have large, firm seeds, they are not very pleasant to eat, though not harmful.
You must have picked your own at correct time, not letting them too tough. If bought ones are too seedy, you can slice off the seed section.
Aubergine is one of my favourite vegetables.

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Re: Aubergine

Postby Sakkarin » Wed Jul 08, 2020 12:13 pm

Just trawling through my old photos and I found this pic from 2013 of an unlikely aubergine dish, Pea Aubergine Curry.
www.sakkarin.co.uk/foodforumpix/pea-aub ... rry-97.jpg

My review of the dish on the old board is here.

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Re: Aubergine

Postby herbidacious » Wed Jul 08, 2020 1:14 pm

Mamta wrote:
herbidacious wrote:I am wondering about seeds in aubergines. Are they unpleasant? I can't remember, it's so long since I had seedy ones.
The home grown ones had very few, but the baby ones Sainsbury's sent me the other week were exceedingly seedy (:) ) I dind't eat them in the end. I was, in fact, attending to them at the sink when the cupboard fell down, and they were subsequently disgarded.

Good quality aubergines should have very little seeds and if they have, seeds should be tiny/insignificant. If they have large, firm seeds, they are not very pleasant to eat, though not harmful.
You must have picked your own at correct time, not letting them too tough. If bought ones are too seedy, you can slice off the seed section.
Aubergine is one of my favourite vegetables.



Even before the cupboard fell down I was contemplating chucking them. A bit cross for Sainsbury's for subbing two aubergine full sized for a handful of (very seedy) baby ones. Are baby ones not just small aubergines, I wonder, for them to be so seedy?

I should be able to pick some more soon. Something is nibbling them though. (Ditto peppers.)

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Re: Aubergine

Postby Mamta » Wed Jul 08, 2020 2:43 pm

Are baby ones not just small aubergines, I wonder, for them to be so seedy?

No, different varieties altogether.
With Sainsbury’s, you have to tick the box for accepting substitute. Did you tick it by mistake?

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Re: Aubergine

Postby karadekoolaid » Thu Jul 09, 2020 3:18 am

Absolutely, Mamta; there are many different varieties of aubergine - and I understand that the original fruit is from India.
Herbie: here´s an idea of the varieties you can find:https://www.mykitchengarden.info/2014/12/growing-eggplant.html
However, I wouldn´t worry too much about the seeds,ie. if the fruit has lots or few. I´d be more concerned about the maggots which sometimes appear inside.
"Baby" aubergines for me are underdeveloped aubergines, and I use them for stuffing. A simple mixture of fresh,grated coconut, green chiles, jaggery (or brown sugar) and tamarind juice. Cut an "X" in the aubergines, all the way through, leaving 1" uncut at the bottom and 1" uncut at the top. Salt the aubergines inside for 30 minutes, then stuff with the coconut mixture. Put them in a large pan in a single layer, sprinkle the excess stuffing over the top, add a little water ( about half way up) and bring to a boil. Put the lid on the pan and lower the temperature. Cook for about 20 minutes until the aubergines are soft. Check from time to time to see if more water is needed.

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Re: Aubergine

Postby Seatallan » Thu Jul 09, 2020 3:13 pm

I use the little ones for Mamta's Aubergine Pickle (which is brilliant by the way :yum ). It used to be easy to get them at local Asian supermarkets when we lived in Reading, but Penrith doesn't have any so think I shall be resorting to supermarket aubergines when I next make a batch.
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Re: Aubergine

Postby Mamta » Thu Jul 09, 2020 3:53 pm

I too love stuffed aubergines, though mine are usually more North Indian type, without coconut and tamarind. Aubergines, or brinjals/ Baingan as they are known in north India, are one of my favourite vegetables.
Seatallan, I don’t often make/eat pickles now, they give me Heart burn. I am making a lemon pickle today though,?with just salt and pepper. I soaked the lemons in boiling hot water twice, to wash off the wax/preservatives. The aroma of lemons foiled the kitchen as the water dried off them. I am sure that I lost some of those pjs, but at least they have no wax/preservatives now!

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Re: Aubergine

Postby Pepper Pig » Thu Jul 30, 2020 9:25 am

Today's recipe from Lindsey Bareham looks lovely.

http://www.lindseybareham.com/harrys-au ... d-parsley/

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Re: Aubergine

Postby Kacey » Thu Jul 30, 2020 10:22 am

Thanks PP for reminding me of Lindsey Bareham, I'd forgotten how good she is! Must dig out her Tomatoes and Potato book, I haven't used them for ages.

I keep saying I'll take one cookbook a week out of the bookcase and make at least 2 recipes from it and I never do. New books have a habit of superceding old ones!

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Re: Aubergine

Postby herbidacious » Thu Jul 30, 2020 11:06 am

In principle I am growing three varietes, Clive. Only one is fruiting though, (the plant I bought as opposed to the ones I grew from seed - although a couple of the seed grown ones are not flowering.) But they are all similar in type.

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