Eggplants do not ripen off the vine and deteriorate rapidly, becoming spongy. Eat the eggplant as soon as possible after picking it . You can store it overnight at room temperature.
Is eggplant supposed to be hard after ripening?
An unripe eggplant is going to be hard and have more solarine which apparently some people react to. However, since eggplant is a nightshade and some other nightshades ripen on the counter (think tomatoes) I would try leaving it out for a few days.
While I was reading we ran into the question “How to tell if eggplant is ripe?”.
A ripe eggplant when sliced open will have soft well-formed immature seeds. If the eggplant is unripe there won’t be visible seeds . On the other hand, if the fruit is overripe the seeds will turn dark and hard. In terms of taste, the under and overripe fruit will have a bitter taste as compared to the perfectly ripe one.
How do you know when to pick eggplant?
#1 check if the skin is glossy and smooth to touch. Glossy skin is indicative of the fact that the black beauty eggplant is ready to be picked . As these plants have a denser colour it is easier to spot the ripe ones on this variant as compared to the lighter ones.
One answer is, Eggplant fruits that are larger than 8 inches long and no longer glossy have matured on the vine . Fruit that has reached this stage may have a bitter flavor. You can determine whether an eggplant is overripe by cutting into it to see if the seeds are brown.
I learned eggplants need to be firm to touch and not hard , hence if the fruit is hard you can leave it on the plant a little longer. While on the topic of harvesting eggplants let’s have a look at the repercussions of harvesting them too early or late. When should eggplant be picked?
Do you have to refrigerate eggplant after picking?
Eggplant doesn’t respond well to cool temperatures. This makes it hard to ripen the fruit after harvesting or to place them in a refrigerator for storage. Fruit that must be stored for one to two days after harvest can be wrapped in plastic and placed in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator .
How do you ripen eggplant off the vine?
Cut the fruit off the plant through the green calyx attached to the vine. The fruit can be eaten immediately and doesn’t require further ripening off the vine. Eggplant fruits that are larger than 8 inches long and no longer glossy have matured on the vine.