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  How to Freeze Eggplant
(a.k.a., Aubergines)
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print version
If you like frozen eggplant, like eggplant parmesan, in the
winter, just imagine how good it would taste if you had picked a firm, fresh
eggplants yourself and then
quickly froze them at home! It is also one of the simplest ways to put up a
vegetable for the winter. Here's how to do it, complete instructions in easy steps and
completely illustrated. The eggplant will taste MUCH better than anything
you've ever had from a store. And
this page has a
nice summary about how to grow eggplants in your own garden.
Directions for Freezing Eggplant
Ingredients
-
fresh eggplant - any quantity. I figure one medium
sized eggplant per serving (it does cook down)
- lemon juice (1/2 to 1 cup)
Equipment
- 1 Large pot of boiling water
- 2 large bowls, one filled with cold water
and ice.
- 1 sharp knife
- Vacuum food sealer or "ziploc"
type freezer bags (the freezer bag version is heavier and protects
better against freezer burn.
Instructions
Step 1 - Get yer eggplant!
Start with fresh eggplant - as fresh as you can get. If there is
a delay between harvesting and freezing, put it in the refrigerator or
put ice on it. Harvest before the seeds become mature and when color is
still uniformly dark. Some varieties and size freeze better than others.
Like many vegetables, eggplants do become soft after freezing and shed
water as the cell walls rupture. The traditional black varieties hold up
a bit better than the purple Chinese and Thai types, but in many dishes
(like Indian baigan bharta) it won't matter.
 Step 2 - Wash the eggplant!
I'm sure you can figure out how to rinse the eggplant in plain
cold water.
Step 3 - Peel and slice the eggplant
Just take a sharp knife and cut of both ends (about 1/4 of an inch, or
half the width of an average woman's little finger). Then peel the
eggplant - an ordinary vegetable peeler works best.
Step 4 - Slice the eggplant
Slice 1/3-inch thick slices.
Prepare quickly, (if you
leave it sit cut for more than a half hour, it will start to discolor). Do
enough eggplant for one blanching at a time.
Step 5 - Get the pots ready
Get the pot of boiling water ready (about
2/3 filled), and add 1/2 cup of lemon juice to each gallon of water. Also
get a LARGE bowl of ice and cold water ready to receive the
eggplant after blanching.
Step 6 - Blanch the eggplant.
All fruits and vegetables contain enzymes and bacteria
that, over time, break down the destroy nutrients and change the color,
flavor, and texture of food during frozen storage. eggplant requires a brief
heat treatment, called blanching, in boiling water or steam, to
destroy the enzymes before freezing. Cook (blanch) the eggplant for 4
minutes.
Begin counting the blanching time as soon as
you place the eggplant in the boiling water. Cover the kettle and boil at a
high temperature for the required length of time. You may use the same
blanching water several times (up to 5). Be sure to add more water
from time to time to keep the water level at the required
height.
Step 7 - Cool the eggplant
Remove the eggplants from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and
place in i ce water to cool for about 5 minutes (until cold).
Cooling them quickly prevents overcooking. Keep adding more ice as
needed.
Drain thoroughly (2 or 3 minutes) If you plan to make eggplant
parmesan later, you can now batter dip the slices, coat them with bread
crumbs wrap in wax paper and proceed to step 7.
Step 7 - Bag the eggplant
I love the FoodSavers (see
this page for more information) with their vacuum
s ealing! I am not paid by them, but these things really work.
If you don't have one, ziploc bags work, too, but it is hard to get as
much air out of the bags. remove the air to prevent drying and
freezer burn. TIP: If you don't own a vacuum food sealer to
freeze foods, place food in a Ziploc bags, zip the top shut but leave
enough space to insert the tip of a soda straw. When straw is in place,
remove air by sucking the air out. To remove straw, press straw closed
where inserted and finish pressing the bag closed as you remove straw. If you want slices for frying later; pack the
drained slices with plastic wrap between slices. That will help to
keep them from sticking to each other.
Note:
If the eggplant is very wet, after draining it, just put it in the
food saver bag and freeze it (unsealed and upright) in your freezer.
THEN, several hours later or the next day, when it is frozen, you can
seal it with no mess!
Step 8 - Done!
Pop them into the freezer, on the quick
freeze shelf, if you have one!
Tips:
- Harvest the eggplant at its peak maturity (firm, not limp or old)
- Process promptly after harvesting, or keep
cooled in the fridge or with ice until then.
- This page has a recipe for Lemon-Dilled Eggplant and Summer Squash
Frequently Asked Questions
- How long can they be frozen?
It depends upon how cold is your freezer and how you packed them.
Colder (deep freezes) are better than frost free compartments, which
actually cycle above freezing (that's how they melt the ice). Vacuum
packing results in longer storage capability, too. Thicker bags also
help prevent freezer burn.
In general, up to 9 months in a ziploc bag in an ordinary freezer, and 14
months in a deep freeze in a vacuum packed bag. After that, they beans
won't make you sick; they just won't taste a s good.
Eggplant Varieties
Large Oval Fruit
Dusky (60 days to harvest, good size, early production)
Epic (64 days, tear-drop shaped)
Black Bell (68 days, round to oval, productive)
Black Magic (72 days)
Classic (76 days, elongated oval, high quality)
Black Beauty (OP-80 days)
Burpee Hybrid (80 days)
Ghostbuster (80 days; white, slightly sweeter than
purple types; 6 to 7 inch oval).
Elongated Fruit
Ichiban (70 days)
Slim Jim (OP-70 days; lavender, turning purple when
peanut-sized; good in pots)
Little Fingers (OP-68 days; 6 to 8 inch, long, slim
fruit in clusters).
Ornamental Fruit
Easter Egg (52 days; small white, egg-sized, shaped,
turning yellow at maturity; edible ornamental)
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