8 Best Recipes for Cooking Delicious Whole Eggplants for the Winter

Whole fresh eggplants for the winter are a delicious dish that will enhance both everyday and holiday tables. Follow certain guidelines to ensure the vegetables stay whole and avoid bitterness and won't disintegrate during storage. The most delicious recipes include those with hot peppers and spicy cilantro, in a sweet marinade, in tomato sauce and oil, and with bell peppers and carrots.

The benefits of preserving whole eggplants for the winter

Whole eggplants for the winter are an easy-to-prepare dish that will develop new flavors during storage. Preserving them has several advantages:

• can be stored for up to three years;
• the vegetables have a bright taste;
• the texture of the eggplants remains crispy and dense;
• vegetables do not lose their bluish tint;
• it won't take much time to prepare and process;
• The finished product can be used for various purposes, for example, eaten whole or added to a salad in pieces.

Eggplants, when whole, look quite beautiful. They resemble boats that can be stuffed or simply topped with garnishes. For example, tomatoes, soft cheese, fresh herbs like basil, parsley, or dill, fresh eggs, and much more would all work well.

Selecting and preparing vegetables

It's crucial to choose the right vegetables for these recipes. Otherwise, the eggplants will be bitter, ruining the entire dish and wasting all your hard work. The following vegetables are suitable:

• without signs of severe damage;
• fresh, fully ripe, but not overripe;
• with a thin, but elastic and intact crust;
• about 15 centimeters long, but not more than 20, very small ones are also not welcome;
• with a green, not dried out, stalk;
• with white and very elastic flesh, without the slightest trace of yellowness or bluish tint.

Preparing eggplants for this recipe is fairly simple. Rinse them thoroughly under warm running water and rinse with cold water. Then, prick them with a toothpick (this is to prevent the skin from cracking and the flesh from spilling out into the jar during the marinating process), and trim off the ends (up to a centimeter) on both sides.

Then the eggplants are dipped in salted water (at least one tablespoon of coarse salt will need to be dissolved per liter), and then left for two hours. Immersion in salt is necessary to remove excess bitterness.

We sterilize containers

Whole eggplants are best pickled in two- or three-liter jars. First, thoroughly wash the jars with baking soda and hot water, then steam them. You can also steam them with a kettle or simply microwave them for a few seconds. Sealing lids should be boiled separately for at least three minutes.

Recipes and step-by-step instructions

The best recipes are quite simple. Even a novice cook can prepare them.

The traditional way in banks

You will need to take a three-liter container;

• 2 kilograms of eggplants;
• 3 dill umbrellas;
• 4 bay leaves;
• 7 large cloves of garlic;
• 100 ml of nine percent vinegar;
• 1 tablespoon each of sugar and salt.

First, take 2.5 liters of water, add salt, and bring to a boil. Once the water reaches 100 degrees Celsius, add the eggplants and cook for 15 minutes (they should be soft but not overcooked).

Meanwhile, add the seasonings and spices to the jars. Place the whole eggplants tightly, but not too tightly, on top of each other. Pour in the marinade, add vinegar, and sugar. Sterilize for 15 minutes, then cover with lids.

Pickled vegetables for the winter with vinegar

You need to take:

• 1 kg eggplants;
• 4 carrots;
• several red or orange peppers;
• 3 onions;
• 200 g vegetable oil;
• 1 tbsp each of sugar and salt;
• 200 ml of vinegar (necessarily six percent, not nine, as in the standard recipe);
• spices and seasonings to taste.

The preparation method is quite simple. First, pour boiling water over all the vegetables. Let them sit for a couple of minutes. Cook the eggplants as in the standard recipe. Then, mix all the ingredients. Make the marinade: add salt and sugar to the boiling water, bring to a boil, and finally add vinegar and vegetable oil. Pour the marinade over the mixture, sterilize for a couple of minutes, and cover.

Preparation without sterilization

Need to:

• 6 kg eggplants;
• 2 heads of garlic;
• a bunch of parsley.

Make a brine. For every liter of water, add two bay leaves and 60 grams of salt. The classic seasonings are placed in a separate vegetable and poured over the prepared marinade. The key is to leave the jars for two days rather than seal them immediately. At the first sign of fermentation, seal them.

Recipe with hot peppers and spicy cilantro in brine

You can also can delicious eggplants with cilantro. It not only adds a pleasant aroma to the dish but also prevents the jar from bulging. You'll need one teaspoon of seasoning per liter of marinade. One hot pepper per three-liter jar. The recipe is basically classic.

We prepare sweet blue ones in a marinade

The special thing about this recipe is that the blue ones need to be simmered in the marinade. This will give them the desired sweetness. You'll need the standard amount of ingredients, but use 100 grams of sugar instead of a tablespoon.

Boil the eggplants for 5 minutes in lightly salted water and drain in a colander. Meanwhile, prepare the marinade with spices and add sugar. Add the eggplants and boil for another 5 minutes. Seal the hot mixture in jars.

Eggplants in oil

Anyone can make delicious eggplant in oil. You'll need:

• 2 kg blue;
• 1 tbsp each of sugar and salt;
• 200 g butter;
• 75 g vinegar;
• spices (bay leaf, pepper, dill).

Boil the eggplant halves until soft, then drain them in a colander. Make the marinade. Finally, add the vinegar and vegetable oil. Mix thoroughly. Pour the mixture over the vegetables and sterilize for 12 minutes.

Appetizer in tomato sauce

This tomato-based appetizer is made with a standard amount of ingredients. But its specialty lies in the unique marinade. You'll need:

• heat 1 liter of water;
• add salt and sugar there;
• add tomato paste (100 grams per liter);
• add seasonings;
• boil for 5 minutes.

Pour the prepared mixture over the vegetables and sterilize for 10 minutes.

Canning with bell peppers and carrots

Canning is carried out from the following ingredients:

• 1.5 kg eggplants;
• 800 g bell pepper;
• 500 g carrots.

Wash everything thoroughly and trim off the skin. Shred the carrots and cut the peppers into thin strips. Pour boiling water over everything and let it steep for 15 minutes. Then add it to the previously prepared eggplants and pour the marinade over it. Sterilize for 15 minutes. Vegetables preserved this way retain their texture.

Storage conditions and periods

The prepared ingredients have a shelf life of 1 to 3 years. Store them in a dry, dark place.