Discover Versatile Eggplant…

When you think of eggplant it’s likely the glossy, purple, teardrop-shaped fruit that comes to mind, yet it comes in a variety of colours and shapes… even pink and orange.
Here at the farm, we typically grow a long slim curvy eggplant and a striped tear-drop shaped variety.

We’ve selected both of these for their less bitter flavour… and today, we’ll focus on the more unusual of the two.

We refer to it as Japanese Eggplant. It’s an heirloom variety.that originated in Taiwan. These eggplants are snakelike in shape… growing up to 50 cm long and 5 cm in diameter, and range in colour from white to pale purple to dark purple.

For cooking, these are our favorite eggplants.

Japanese Eggplant

What makes them our favorite?

  • you don’t need to peel them since the skin is so thin and tender…
  • they’re never bitter so you can skip the pre-salting process necessary with many other eggplant varieties.
  • And the flavour is excellent!

So you save time and still enjoy the benefits eggplant has to offer.

What’s Good In Eggplant?

Eggplant are rich in manganese, essential for many of the important enzymes our bodies use to function well. They’re also high in anthocyanins, pigments that help protect living cells from damage. The high level of fiber and the polyphenols in eggplant also help to regulate blood sugar levels…. And they’re low in calories…

Yet, technically a fruit, eggplant is a very versatile food.

Here’s What You Can Do With Eggplant

Eggplants can be

You can also use it to make jam and even add it to cakes instead of applesauce or mayonnaise to keep them nice and moist (don’t worry, you won’t taste it!).

Here’s a tip though – leave the cutting of eggplant until you’re ready to cook it since it can discolour quickly and go bad much faster once it’s opened up.

How to Use Japanese Eggplant Recipes

Preparing Japanese Eggplant is much the same as the more common varieties you see around, just no need to pre-salt and remove the skin. Yet, because they’re so tender and mildly flavoured you can find recipes that call specifically this type of eggplant.

So if, you don’t have the long thin ones to work with, you could use the more bitter varieties, just remember to pre-salt and that the skin is tougher, so you may want to remove the skin depending on the recipe.

Here are a few recipes to get started with Japanese Eggplant

Stir-fried Eggplant with Potatoes
Spicy Eggplant Garlic Sauce
Eggplant Jam

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