Eggplants are one of the most common vegetables which we use in our recipes and are often grown in home gardens. We too used to grow them in our home garden and it was then we learnt how to store eggplant. Eggplants are available in different sizes and can be used in numerous recipes too. Some of these can be very small while others are quite big. Storing eggplant is an easy process – if you do it right, you will be able to enjoy this vegetable all through the year. Here are a few steps which shall help you in storing eggplant.

If you have grown eggplants at home and wish to store them for future use, you should choose eggplant for storing after checking them well. Storing an eggplant helps to keep them fresh so that you can get its freshness and good taste in any vegetable you choose to have them. You will gently have to press the eggplant but remember that you should not puncture it. If you find that the eggplant is bouncing back, it means that it is ripe and can be eaten – but what happens if you do not wish to eat them now? You just have to store them properly so that you can use them later on.

• You have to store your eggplant very carefully so be prepared.
•  Do not puncture the eggplant as the eggplant shall get spoilt with the puncture.
• You can now place the eggplant inside a plastic bag.
• You should not wash the eggplant as you do it in other cases. You should not wash it or even cut it.
• If you have purchased the eggplant wrapped in a plastic, you should very carefully remove it and then place it inside another bag. Eggplants are usually sold wrapped up in plastic. The store wrapped plastic of the eggplant does not allow it to breathe well – so, if you are looking forward to store it properly, you should bring it out of the plastic wrap.
• You can now place this plastic bag just in the front side of the fridge.
• You should remember never to close the drawer of the crisper forcibly. If you try to do this, it shall spoil and damage the skin of the eggplant and shall cause its decay.

Helpful tips and suggestion:
What happens if you find that the eggplant chosen by you is very big?
If the eggplant is big and you are not able to fit it well, it is best to keep it on a shelf which is located in the front portion of your refrigerator. You can eat it in 5 days.

Image courtesy: agricultureguide ; panasonic.com.ph