Mom2goldens,
Please post your smoked eggplant/yogurt dip recipe!
I'm growing Gretels again. It's an Asian hybrid, just enough for me to keep up with. Although, next season I'll add either a Beatrice or try the Black Shine or Park's Whopper mentioned above to get a larger size for meaty recipes.
The Gretels are VERY prolific, growing to 5-6" in only 3-4 days after the bloom. My plants were petering out after all the rain and humidity we've had here in Houston, so, I took a calculated risk. I harvested EVERY fruit off the plants, gave them a good dose of Triple 13, and watered them in well. After about one week, they were full of new blooms and have started cranking out a whole second crop.
The skins on this fruit are tender enough that you don't have to peel them, if they are harvested between 4-6" long. I've learned to eyeball when they're just about at peak. Generally, in that 4-6" length, with some "heft" to the individual fruit. Some get to that length, but are skinny and lightweight. These I leave alone until they get some "heft," and it doesn't seem to affect the taste, although the skin gets a tiny bit chewier.
Gretel has a black counterpart called (you guessed it) HANSEL! I grew them together the first season, and I much prefer the Gretels for my uses. Nothing wrong with Hansel. The characteristics are just a bit different. Hansel fills out more than Gretels at their peak, and the skins are much tougher from the beginning. I don't relish having to peel the Hansels, so, I stick with the Gretels. Although, Hansel would make a fine grilling veggie, if just split down the middle. I generally just cut Gretels into 1" coins for my recipes. She cooks up very quickly!
Heeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Gretel!
Observation: The Gretels in my patented Earthboxes (one each, in 3 EBs) have consistently lagged behind in production and, the fruits have remained smaller. The EBs get fed on a regular basis, but, the plants aren't as productive as the ones in the ground...
