The Things I've Learned...

My wife was watching the Food Network last night and passed this interesting little tidbit on to me. Eggplants apparently have two sexes, male and female. The male fruits (that's right, they are a fruit not a vegetable), are said to have less seeds and are a bit better to eat. Some people say that this is total nonsense and it is only the age of the fruit that matters. Anyway, to tell whether the fruit is male or female you have to look at the blossom end (the end opposite to the stem). A female fruit will have an oval scar and an indentation. The male will have no indentation and will have a round scar. Again, some people say that this doesn't matter but that it is only the age that you should worry about. You will have a better chance of getting a "good" fruit if you get a younger one. The older fruits will have a bitter taste to them.

Another good thing to point out is how to pick out a good egglant. This quote was taken from the Watch Your Garden Grow website:

"To test, hold the eggplant in your palm and gently press it with your thumb. If the flesh presses in but bounces back, it is ready for harvesting. If the flesh is hard and does not give, the eggplant is immature and too young to harvest. If the thumb indentation remains, the eggplant to over mature and may be completely brown inside and bitter with large tough seeds."

For more eggland information see these links:
1.) Watch Your Garden Grow
2.) All About Eggplants
3.) Cape Cod Online