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Old June 13, 2014   #72
Ken B
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: central Virginia
Posts: 243
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Steaming and freezing eggplants sounds interesting, need to give that a try. (I'm used to cubing + roasting them in the oven + then freezing.)

Another great use for eggplants is to use the puree like tomato paste! Since eggplants are thick and dense, all you have to do is to cook them and puree them and you've got a thick paste... then if you combine that eggplant puree with some cooked tomatoes, you've got a great tomato sauce, and you don't notice the eggplants at all.

...

Didn't see anyone mentioning it in this thread or in some of the other recent eggplant threads -- anyone ever have trouble with eggplants not setting fruit when it's too hot?

July 2012 was super hot here in Virginia, we had problems with a LOT of stuff not being able to pollinate because it was so hot -- snap beans, lima beans, squash, etc.... and it was the first time we'd ever noticed eggplants having trouble, we pretty much had no eggplants setting fruit in July, they waited til cooler temperatures in August to start setting fruits.

So in 2013 we tried a few varieties with good reputations for setting fruits in hot weather -- Florida Bush and Florida Market -- and of course 2013 ended up being the coldest summer here in 30 years, so that year's trial wasn't any use.

We're trying again this year, and along with Florida Bush and Florida Market, we're also looking at a Hawaiian variety, Nitta, so if it ends up being another hot summer, maybe this year we'll have some useful results!
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