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Did I spell that right? it looks funny. It can be off-putting when we look at a word so long it becomes incomprehensible.. phew that is a word in it's own right.

But to Eggplants, ( I just typed eggpants) Aubergines to give it the correct French title. I wonder where they were first grown? I think we all envision some veggies and foods to have originated somewhere.

Do you use them? If so how often and how? I find them easy to use whether ones cuts and salt soaks them for an hour as often recommended. I rarely do now. In they go to a stir-fry or sometimes a soup.

They are also of the Nightshade family , we are recommended not to eat if we have arthritic tendencies. That goes along with tomatoes, capsicums potatoes and a few others I cannot bring it to mind right now.
I know Ratatoulle is out then!

What are your thoughts on Eggplants?

We like them. I split it in half, scoop out the meat. In a pan with a little oil I cook a chopped onion, chopped bacon and the roughly chopped eggplant with a little garlic. Add to the pan some cooked rice. ( brown or white or if you are in a hurry a packet of Uncle Bens) Add grated cheese and pile back into the shell. Top with sliced tomato and more grated cheese and put into the oven to brown.

I'm not fond of Eggplant. But take a small one, slice it across, season the slices and dip them in batter, fry in butter. Really yummy fritters.

I like them, and do them for myself pretty much as described by AnnieM. They are not something we have ever grown for ourselves, but if given them, they would never be wasted. I have layered them in a dish and baked with courgettes, tomato paste etc and enjoyed that, They are good in moussaka. One of my daughter's makes a yummy Baba Ganoush Dip using Eggplant, and also a parmigiana. Recipes from her mother in law who grew up in Turkey. The modern varieties can be used without going through all that bizzo of salting them down to remove the bitterness . A process which I think put a lot of folk off using them -including myself at one time.
The type we are most familiar with are the lovely glossy purple ones but as I understand it, there is a small white variety, which does look very much like an egg, and that is how they came to be named "Egg plant." It is also known as Brinjal and Patlican in some countries.

First tried them in Oz but never again! Yes it was in Mousakka, every other ok but not the eggplant!

i love eggplant!!!

Great to see you back Pusslil.

Hope you are feeling well now.

errrrrrrrrrrr..... um Lucky..... ( giggling to herself here ) that was 3 months ago darlin ! Glad that I am not the only one who has what I call "episodes. " Poor old ducks that we are ! Never the less, I do often think of Pusslil and hope that she is doing OK. She would normally be telling us all about her spring garden and posting lovely photos for us all to see, if she was up to it, at this time of the year wouldn't she ?