Eggplants should be picked as soon as they are ripe, with slightly immature fruits tasting best. One of the easiest ways to determine if they are ripe is to gently squeeze the eggplant. Once you release, the skins should “bounce back”. If indentations remain, the fruit is not quite ripe yet.
When I was reading we ran into the inquiry “When eggplant is ripe?”.
A glossy coating on the fruit is a sign of readiness. Dull coatings or seeds that have turned brown indicate overripe fruits. Eggplants should be picked as soon as they are ripe, with slightly immature fruits tasting best. One of the easiest ways to determine if they are ripe is to gently squeeze the eggplant.
One frequent answer is, If the flesh is hard, with no give, the eggplant is immature and too young to pick. If your finger makes an impression that quickly fades, the eggplant is ripe and ready to harvest. If the impression lingers, the eggplant is soft and is likely over-ripe.
Do eggplants ripen when you touch them?
A perfectly ripe eggplant will not have as much give when touched as a ripe tomato or peach. Will eggplant ripen after picking? Eggplant doesn’t respond well to cool temperatures.
You might be asking “Is it better to pick eggplant before it is ripe?”
Both an under-ripe and overripe eggplant will be bitter tasting. It is better to harvest eggplant just before its ripe than to wait too long. Cut eggplant fruits from the plant with a garden pruner or sharp knife.
When is an eggplant overripe?
If it is dull, the eggplant is overripe. Eggplants can be grown as herbaceous perennials in U. S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 12, though they are typically grown as warm-season annuals throughout USDA zones 4 through 10.
One source stated Soft, brown spots, and a dried-out, dark stem are other indications that an eggplant is near spoiling. An unpleasant flavor or texture isn’t necessarily a sign of spoilage.
When to harvest eggplant?
Harvest eggplant young as soon as the skin becomes glossy. The flesh of young eggplant will be more tender and the seeds smaller. The plant will produce more fruit if kept picked.