Why do eggplants turn green instead of blue and how can this be prevented?
The usual color for ripe eggplants is from dark blue to purple. Therefore, when the fruits turn green instead of turning blue, gardeners have natural questions: why does this happen and is it possible for vegetables to be green? to eat? You will find detailed answers in the article, and also learn about the varietal characteristics of eggplants. It turns out that in nature there are “little blue” ones of other colors.
Why do eggplants turn green instead of blue?
Eggplants accumulate solanine, a toxic alkaloid. It not only gives vegetables a bitter taste, but also a green color. Young fruits contain an acceptable amount of solanine, and it does not make itself felt. But in overripe specimens the level of this toxic substance is off the charts. At the same time, not only the color of the eggplant peel changes from blue to green (sometimes to yellow or even brown), but also the color of the pulp and seeds. They darken and become brownish in color.
Common Causes
In most cases, the reason for greening of eggplants lies precisely in untimely harvesting. But it also happens that the “little blue” ones acquire a greenish tint due to an excess of nitrogen or lack of light. This leads to the fact that their development is inhibited, and the fruits begin to lighten.
Varietal features
So, we found out that eggplants turn green when they are overripe or, conversely, have problems with development. But these are not all the reasons. Eat varieties, the peel of which remains green when ripe or becomes white-green.These cultures came to us from Asia and North America and are gaining increasing popularity in our country.
These varieties include:
- Emerald F1;
- Alenka;
- Green;
- Green F1;
- Yoga;
- Louisiana;
- Thai green;
- Green Galaxy F1.
These varieties have light-colored peels: from white to light green, salad green. There is a color with pigmentation or stripes. Their shape is varied and even unusual for eggplants: spherical, curved cylindrical, elongated cylindrical, slightly flattened, oval. The color of the pulp ranges from creamy white to light green.
In all these varieties, solanine is either completely absent or its content is minimal (0.0025% per 100 g of dry matter). And the taste of these varieties is different in that it completely lacks the bitterness characteristic of dark blue eggplants. Among them there are sweetish fruits that can be eaten raw. They are added to salads without prior heat treatment and soaking. These, for example, include the Alenka eggplant. And the taste of the fruits of the Emerald variety is reminiscent of mushroom.
What to do and is it possible to eat such eggplants?
With varieties with greenish skin everything is clear. They can be safely eaten, even without first soaking them in salt water. But is it possible to eat eggplants with green skin that is unusual for the varieties?
Possible consequences of eating green fruits
In such eggplants the amount of solanine is off the charts. They are easy to poison. Symptoms of solanine poisoning include:
- dizziness;
- disorientation;
- migraine;
- nausea;
- vomit;
- stomach pain;
- diarrhea;
- elevated temperature.
If these symptoms appear, rinse your stomach and take sorbents (Enterosgel or white coal).
With the systematic use of small doses of solanine, a rash and mouth ulcers appear. This also leads to insomnia.
Attention! If symptoms include tachycardia, convulsions or loss of consciousness, call an ambulance immediately.
Treatment
Although it is not advisable to eat green overripe fruits, it is possible. However, they must be processed before use.
To remove the harmful alkaloid solanine and bitterness from a vegetable, do the following:
- Cut the eggplants (slices, circles).
- Sprinkle them with salt and leave for 40-60 minutes. Wait for them to release juice and drain it.
- Rinse the vegetable pieces well with running water. Remove large seeds. Place the eggplants in a colander and squeeze out.
- Blanch the eggplant pieces in boiling salted water for 5-7 minutes.
- Remove the green skin (this is easy to do after blanching).
Processed vegetables are ready for further cooking.
Seed material
Despite the fact that after these manipulations you can eat overripe eggplants, we do not recommend doing this. It is recommended to leave overripe fruits for seeds. For this:
- Select the largest fruits of the correct shape.
- Wait until the peels begin to dry out and only then pick them.
- Place the collected fruits in a dark place for a couple of weeks so that the seeds in them ripen.
- Collect seed material.
Preventive measures against greening of eggplants
To prevent eggplants from turning green from overripeness, harvest them at the moment of technical ripeness (occurs a little earlier than biological ripeness). It is better to pick young, slightly unripe fruits than to be late. Such vegetables will have a thin skin and a small, unformed seed part.
Attention! To determine technical ripeness, press on the eggplant without removing it from the bush. A small dent will form, which will disappear in a couple of seconds. If no trace remains when pressed, then the crop can be harvested. And, if the dent is deep and does not disappear, then you have an overripe eggplant, and it is better to leave it for seeds.
Solanine accumulates not only in overripe fruits. Ripe eggplants can turn green if there is insufficient watering in dry weather. To prevent this, ensure timely watering. And even at the planting stage, choose well-lit places for eggplants.
Read also:
Hybrid eggplant "Clorinda" from Dutch breeders.
Review of the Black Prince eggplant variety and instructions for growing it.
Heat-loving eggplant hybrid “Valentina f1” from Dutch breeders.
Conclusion
If this is not a feature of the variety, then the green tint of ripe eggplants indicates their overripeness or improper development. Such fruits have an increased content of a toxic substance - solanine. Without special treatment, eating overripe eggplants is dangerous to health. Therefore, try to harvest immediately after the onset of technical maturity.